The Erie Route West

The Erie Route West. . In 1820, the middle section of the Erie Canal was completed from Utica on the Mohawk River, to Montezuma on the Seneca River. Hugging the base of the Allegheny escarpment, the canal traversed thinly settled portions of Onondaga County, with Syracuse, Jordan, and a few other hamlets along its rout. The canal bypassed larger villages to the south, including Manlius and Fayetteville, that had developed on the ca. 1800 Seneca Turnpike and its northern branch. , , With the canals came the rise of Syracuse and nearby salt-producing settlements. Other villages grew wherever a highway or water connection attracted commerce. Manlius Center occupied a busy crossroad directly on the Erie, while Fayetteville and Manlius were sustained by a canal feeder from Limestone Creek that also served as a navigation link. , The great promise of the Erie Canal for long distance commerce, far outstripping the turnpikes and early water routes in speed, cost, and reliability, brought immediate growth to Onondaga County. Linking the Hudson River and Lake Erie by 1825, the canal established national markets for Onondaga's salt and gypsum industries. The canal also created a demand for area limestone and hydraulic cement in building the two Erie enlargements, the Oswego, and other lateral canals. , (sidebar on right) , Manlius Center. Located in the shadow of Syracuse and Fayetteville, Manlius Center remained a small trading center throughout the canal period. At its peak, the village contained a post office, a hotel and tavern, two or three stores, a schoolhouse and about twenty dwellings. Residents were engaged primarily in canal work and farming.