Erie Canal

Erie Canal. . , (Panel 1): , The Erie Canal is North America’s most successful and enduring man-made waterway. Opened in 1825, it connects the Atlantic Ocean to the upper Great Lakes. The canal runs east and west more than 350 miles between the Hudson River near Albany and Lake Erie at Buffalo. Along the way, locks raise and lower boats more than 570 feet. , The canal opened the interior of North America and transformed New York into the Empire State. Settlers and immigrants pressed westward on the Erie Canal, giving rise to cities and new industries in New York and the Midwest. The products of farms and factories moved east to markets along the Atlantic., Enlarged over the years to accommodate larger boats, the Erie Canal still operates as an active and historic waterway for all to enjoy., The Canal System, You can travel the Erie Canal by boat, bike, or on foot across New York State. The Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain canals branch off to form a network of inland waterways connecting the Great Lakes, Finger Lakes, Lake Champlain, and Canadian waters., (Panel 2): , The Erie Canal in Lockport, To reach Lake Erie, the Erie Canal had to climb the Niagara Escarpment, the rock formation that forms the lip of Niagara Falls. Engineers overcame this obstacle with the Lockport Flight-twin five-lock "staircases" that appeared to climb the face of a cliff., The Lockport Flight was an engineering marvel and a point of pride for a young state and nation. It was pictured in artwork, prints, and decorative objects. It made Lockport a popular tourist destination for travelers from around the world., Lockport grew from a construction camp to a village to a city. It prospered from canal traffic and manufacturers that used falling canal water to drive their factories., (Captions):, The "Deep Cut" west of Lockport carved nearly five miles through solid rock. It allowed water to flow downhill from Lake Erie, supplying most of the flow for the western end of the Erie Canal., A fire alarm bell tower once stood where you are now., Erie Canal traffic grew so rapidly that the original 1825 Lockport Flight had to be replaced with larger chambers by 1842. The row on the left was replaced in 1915 by the two massive chambers that are in service today., A scenic railroad still uses this inverted truss bridge over the Erie Canal. The factory surrounded by logs in the foreground produced Upson Board, a building material made from wood fiber. The site is now a park.