The Great American Canal The Erie Canal was the most important of America’s inland waterways. It facilitated the opening of the American frontier and provided a route west for tens of thousands of settlers and immigrants. Villages, town, and . . . — — Map (db m110017) HM
These stones from the first aqueduct and the locks were set October 30, 1926 at the eastern widewaters to commemorate the first centenary of the Erie Canal presented to the City of Rochester — — Map (db m57403) HM
Officially opened on October 26, 1825, the Erie Canal stretched 363 miles from Albany to Buffalo, connecting the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and the Port of New York. It carried thousands of pioneers from the east to Rochester and cut the cost . . . — — Map (db m62082) HM
Second Erie Canal Aqueduct
Over Genesee River - Lower Level
completed in 1842
Outstanding example of Erie Canal Construction and engineering Built in conjunction with the first major improvement and enlargement of the canal
Nathan S. . . . — — Map (db m63995) HM
From Seneca fording place to aqueduct and bridge — a perpetual crossing place
Erie Canal Rerouted South of the City and out of Downtown
The last canal boat passed through the Erie Canal in downtown Rochester in 1919. The city had . . . — — Map (db m65116) HM
Dedicated by the County of Monroe and the City of Rochester in honor of Ted Curtis
Visionary advocate for the City of Rochester, the Genesee River and the Erie Canal
14 July 2011
On the 20th anniversary of the Corn Hill Waterfront & . . . — — Map (db m57771) HM
Constructed – 1915 Pedestrian Conversion Date – 2011 Originally constructed to carry the Rochester branch of the Erie Railroad, ca 1854, the heavy plate girder structure is carried on a series of cut stone piers. Enlarged in 1917-1920 as part of the . . . — — Map (db m198751) HM
The canal below your feet was constructed as part of the NYS Barge Canal. Started in 1905 and completed in 1918, it widened older canal sections and built new waterways to accommodate larger barges. This was a new section that bypassed the original . . . — — Map (db m131804) HM
Nope. No mules here.
The Erie Canal song relates “I’ve got a mule and her name is Sal.” Sorry, but Sal would not be pulling boats along this trail. This canal was constructed as the Barge Canal between 1905-1918 when boats traveled by . . . — — Map (db m131796) HM
Canals provide an inexpensive way to move people and goods
1825 The Erie Canal
The Erie Canal connects the Hudson River and Lake Erie. The 363 miles of navigable waterway provided a cost-efficient way to transport goods to and from the . . . — — Map (db m61901) HM
The Genesee River rises in Pennsylvania and flows northward 150 miles before emptying into Lake Ontario. Starting as a placid stream, the Genesee, in Letchworth State Park, plunges over three impressive cataracts, dropping 300 feet in three miles. . . . — — Map (db m57085) HM
»————›
Built circa 1850 to service
Barges on Erie Canal, served
As store and forwarding
Warehouse for goods shipped
Across river to Amsterdam — — Map (db m50148) HM
The Town and Village of Canajoharie take their name from the ancient Mohawk village that was once located in this area. Known by many as "the Boiling Pot", the name accurately translated as "The Pot That Washes Itself" or "The Clean Pot." All of . . . — — Map (db m130996) HM
The Canalway Trail: Canajoharie
Welcome to the Canalway Trail System, offering hundreds of miles of scenic trails and numerous parks for walking, bicycling, cross-country skiing and other recreational activities. The Canalway Trail parallels . . . — — Map (db m137361) HM
A Natural Advantage
The Erie Canal was built by taking advantage of a path carved by nature through the eastern Appalachian Mountains. Construction on the Erie Canal began in Rome, New York, on July 4, 1817, and it opened in Buffalo in . . . — — Map (db m129772) HM
Westward Flow
Many Europeans-including large numbers of Irish, German and Dutch immigrants - and New Englanders migrating west boarded
packet boats or line boats. The cost to ride a line boat. Sometimes just a penny.
Left Inset:
A Tale Of . . . — — Map (db m129784) HM
Gateway to the West
The Erie Canal was the first major commercially successful connection between the East Coast and the Western Frontier. Known as the "Gateway to the West,” the canal helped fan the flames of the Industrial . . . — — Map (db m129789) HM
Numbers Tell the Tale
The Erie Canal originally spanned 363 miles and was 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep. It was largely
built by farmers and finished by immigrants, with not a single trained engineer among them and
without any mechanized . . . — — Map (db m133734) HM
Mother of Cities
The Erie Canal is often called the "Mother
of Cities” because it spurred the growth of
boom cities such as Syracuse, Buffalo, Utica,
Cleveland, Milwaukee and Chicago.
A Financial Force
The Erie Canal helped . . . — — Map (db m140255) HM
Limestone was used to build locks, aqueducts, and other features throughout New York State's canal system both because of its availability and its durability. This limestone block was a capstone from the Schoharie Aqueduct. Local limestone formed . . . — — Map (db m64591) HM
Lock 30 of the Enlarged Erie Canal was built between 1838 and 1841 in this location to allow for the efficient operation of the Schoharie Aqueduct, which carried the canal over, and totally apart from, the Schoharie Creek. Prior to the aqueduct's . . . — — Map (db m66552) HM
Putman's Lock Grocery, owned by the Garret Putman family from 1855 into the 1900s, is typical of the many stores which lined the canal. Part of the store, which contained living quarters and rooms for rent, was destroyed by fire in the 1930s. The . . . — — Map (db m47503) HM
Locks Open the Way
The Erie Canal originally scaled some 700 feet in elevation changes along its route from Rome, New York to Buffalo. This was accomplished by building a series of 83 locks to accomodate changes in water levels. These . . . — — Map (db m129907) HM
Mighty floods sweep down the Mohawk almost every spring. Builders of the original Erie Canal recognized the river's power and laid out their artificial waterway well above flood levels. Barge Canal engineers dredged river channels and replaced stone . . . — — Map (db m97601) HM
Although basic principles of operation remain the same, locks along the Erie Canal have changed over the years. The canal's first locks, products of careful stonework by masons, measured 15 feet wide and 90 feet long. The concrete lock that you see . . . — — Map (db m130952) HM
Transportation is King The world kept changing, and the Erie Canal along with it. Completed in 1825, the Canal has been rebuilt - or enlarged - twice. The original Erie Canal, known as Clinton's Ditch, was only 40 feet wide and four feet deep. New . . . — — Map (db m130951) HM
The CanalWay Trail: Sprakers
Welcome to the Canalway Trail System, offering hundreds of miles of scenic trails and numerous parks for walking, bicycling, cross-country skiing and other recreational activities. The Canalway Trails parallels . . . — — Map (db m137088) HM
It was the completion of the Erie Canal between Albany and Buffalo in 1825 that solidified New York City's position as America's premier Atlantic seaport, creating the twentieth-century demand for modern facilities such as Pier 76. The canal . . . — — Map (db m228776) HM
New York is a great world trading hub because of its superior harbor. Two hundred years ago, merchants made the city the chief world supplier of cotton from the American South, sugar from the Caribbean, and—thanks to the Erie Canal, which opened in . . . — — Map (db m228480) HM
The Hudson River was essential to the history and economic development of New York. The river provided food for early settlers and is still an important waterway for commerce, which led to the expansion and growth of the City. The recognized source . . . — — Map (db m41584) HM
To overcome the great elevation of the Niagara Escarpment, the original canal builders constructed a unique flight of 5 double locks, to lower easterly and raise westerly bound boats some sixty feet.
The Erie Canal was constructed in three . . . — — Map (db m189389) HM
When the Barge Canal opened on May 15, 1918, a large steam tug was chartered by the government to tow state boats on the new canal. The wages were based on a monthly scale for a twelve-hour workday and included board. The Captain received $175 per . . . — — Map (db m187194) HM
This grassy area is the original location of the eastbound five locks from the 1842 widening of the canal that handled boats heading to Albany and New York City. Those locks were removed in 1918 and replaced with the two large locks (#34 and #35) in . . . — — Map (db m178998) HM
To see the comparison table click on the image to the right to enlarge itSidebar on the right
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) Was the third President of the United States. In 1808 a delegation from the state of New York . . . — — Map (db m76963) HM
Originally built in 1826 for visionary businessman Lyman A. Spalding, the smaller three-story stone building built on this site became the Norman & Evans Iron Foundry. After the building burned in 1840, it was rebuilt several times and enlarged to . . . — — Map (db m76996) HM
These cast iron lock gate fittings from 1842 stand as reminders of the location of the five locks that moved boats from Buffalo to points east. Those eastbound locks were removed during the canal enlargement. — — Map (db m179000) HM
Life aboard the canal barges involved hard work. All members of the family had important roles. The man would be in charge of the animals and manage the entire operation. The wife (and mother) had many chores in addition to caring for the . . . — — Map (db m76893) HM
The northern tier of locks was converted to a spillway in 1919 to help manage the canal's water level as far east as lock 33 near Rochester. Debris naturally floats into Lock 71's forebay, helping to maintain a clear navigation channel for Locks . . . — — Map (db m179002) HM
From the original Erie Canal to the Barge Canal System, crossing the Niagara Escarpment posed immense challenges to canal engineers.
The first Lockport locks were designed by Nathan Roberts, who was in charge of constructing the Erie Canal from . . . — — Map (db m76954) HM
Lock tenders in the 1890's were selected from each of the eight wards in the City of Lockport. Those depicted here were local residents and worked in the same spot where you are standing today. It was difficult, backbreaking work, with very few . . . — — Map (db m187295) HM
After the Erie Canal opened in 1825, Lockport changed from a village of log cabins filled with construction workers into an industrial city. English traveler, Francis Trollope describing Lockport said that "It looks as if the demon of machinery, . . . — — Map (db m77812) HM
In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the completion of the original locks which opened a connecting waterway between the Hudson River and the Great Lakes. This completion of the Erie Canal was the opening of a door to the settling of the . . . — — Map (db m65659) HM
The City of Lockport wishes to express its appreciation to City Historian William H. Riley (1922-1990) for his dedication, assistance, patience and love for the City of Lockport, New York.
Riley’s Way: a walking tour on the Erie Canal is . . . — — Map (db m76962) HM
In 1903, the people of New York voted to build the Barge Canal System. The new canal, unlike the old, utilized canalized natural water courses as well as artificial channels. The new concrete locks (57 in all) were electrically operated and could . . . — — Map (db m76934) HM
The floor of each of the Flight of Five locks is constructed of old growth wood, a combination of white oak, pine, and hemlock. These high density woods provide an extremely durable base of support for the locks. It is preserved by remaining . . . — — Map (db m178994) HM
In 1864, Dwight Keep constructed this typical canal era stone structure which began as the Benjamin C. Moore Company Mill. Around 1884, the building was converted from a flour mill to one of the first water pumping plants in America. The Holly Water . . . — — Map (db m76994) HM
“The site of the locks at Lockport, from the time of the original canal to the present had never changed. The early engineers found the logical location for locks in this vicinity and the same place has been used ever since. The romance of . . . — — Map (db m76892) HM
Locktenders guided thousands of boats through the locks every year. They controlled the boat's position partly by dragging the rope over the railings. In time this resulted in deep grooves along the top of the railings. — — Map (db m179001) HM
The "Deep Cut" at Lockport Here, only several miles from Lake Erie, Canal engineers faced a major natural barrier. To tap the water of Lake Erie and keep boats afloat, they knew the canal's channel had to flow downhill from the lake. But the . . . — — Map (db m93026) HM
The first bridge across the canal in Lockport was located a the extreme eastern end of the Big Bridge. It was a narrow log bridge, only wide enough for one way traffic, with a log on either side for guard rails. Called the “Main Street . . . — — Map (db m76955) HM
The New York State Barge Canal System is 524 miles long of which 348 miles is within the Erie Barge Canal. Although water depths vary, the depth of the water in the Lockport section is approximately 8 - 12 feet.
The Lockport Locks Nos. 34 and . . . — — Map (db m74517) HM
Different panels appear on opposite sides of the marker The Erie Canal was the most important of America’s inland waterways. It facilitated the opening of the American frontier and provided a route west for tens of thousands of settlers . . . — — Map (db m76895) HM
Three waterways: Culvert No. 125, the old raceway, and Eighteen Mile Creek, met the canal in this area.
The old raceway entered the canal about 125 feet east of this point and has since been abandoned. It was used to supply the lower level of . . . — — Map (db m74791) HM
A packet boat was upwards of 80 feet long, 9 feet wide at is extreme breadth, with 50 feet of cabin space in the center for passengers. This left 10 feet of space in the prow and 20 feet for the steerage deck. The long but narrow cabin was . . . — — Map (db m76935) HM
The canal ride from Rochester to Lockport was some what of a lark. The Long Level, as it was known, was a 63 mile trip uninterrupted by locks. The approach to Lockport, after all, marked the next to last stop in a long, weary trip across the state. . . . — — Map (db m76894) HM
The Raceway Tunnel was invented by Birdsell Holly. Blasting for the tunnel began in 1858. Construction of the 2,430 foot tunnel took 18 months. The tunnel contains old gates and ruins of buildings from the beginning of the Industrial Age. The cave . . . — — Map (db m76936) HM
Controlling Water in the Erie Canal Since 1825 it has been necessary to protect the Erie Canal from flooding or low water in the Tonawanda Creek, which has historically been part [of] the canal route. As the canal has evolved since then different . . . — — Map (db m92390) HM
At 9:00 am on the twenty-sixth day of October eighteen hundred and twenty-five, the Grand Erie Canal was officially opened. In Buffalo at the foot of Main Street, Governor DeWitt Clinton boarded the packet boat, Seneca Chief, which was elegantly . . . — — Map (db m74004) HM
Gas Port, formerly called James' Port, was the name suggested by George W. Clinton when he and a group of scientists came to this place on the canal where "considerable quantities of gas bubbled through the water." On his return journey May 26, 1826 . . . — — Map (db m81811) HM
[west side] The Erie Canal served as a natural classroom for engineers and scholars. During planning and construction, engineers learned to overcome a variety of natural obstacles. After the canal opened, scholars and students learned from the . . . — — Map (db m81822) HM
Construction began in Rome N.Y. on July 4, 1817. The canal measured 40'x 28'x 4' and was 363 miles long. It went from Albany to Buffalo and was used into the 1830's. — — Map (db m54216) HM
Begun in the 1830's and enlarged to 70'x 56'x 7'. The improvement included double and larger locks and the capacity of handling more traffic. The enlargement was used until 1918 when the barge canal opened and horse-drawn boats became a thing of the . . . — — Map (db m54197) HM
The ceremonies outside the village of Rome on Independence Day, 1817, climaxed years of discussion about building the Erie Canal. Dignitaries and local citizens assembled at sunrise to attend the start of construction. Judge Joshua Hathaway, a . . . — — Map (db m50330) HM
Historic New York
Utica Area
Situated on the important Mohawk Valley route between the Hudson River and the Great Lakes, Utica has long been a travel crossroads. Indian trails converged there, and Fort Schuyler was built on the site . . . — — Map (db m54343) HM
[Obverse]:
9 Mile Creek Aqueduct
Built 1842 By NY State. In
Use 1845 - 1918, Replacing
1819 Aqueduct Located Just
Downstream. One of 32 On
The 19th Century Erie Canal.
Canal Society
of N.Y.S. . . . — — Map (db m24186) HM
Locktender’s house
served Erie Canal Lock 51
located west of Jordan.
Lock active ca. 1858-1917.
This rare Erie Canal bldg.
moved here 1988 and restored. — — Map (db m153650) HM
Welcome to the Canalway Trail System offering hundreds of miles of scenic trails and numerous parks for walking, bicycling, cross-country skiing and other recreational activities. The Canalway Trail parallels the New York State Canal System, . . . — — Map (db m153875) HM
Welcome to the Canalway Trail System offering hundreds of miles of scenic trails and numerous parks for walking, bicycling, cross-country skiing and other recreational activities. The Canalway Trail parallels the New York State Canal System, . . . — — Map (db m153837) HM
First Steamboat
Built by Wm. Avery 1 mile
south of Oran. Launched
in Limestone Creek near
Buellville, 1823. Later first
steamboat used on Erie Canal. — — Map (db m142724) HM
When work on the Erie Canal began in 1817, little was known about canal engineering, and construction depended on the ingenuity of many persons. Canvass White (1796-1834), a surveyor, greatly facilitated canal construction by perfecting a "meagre . . . — — Map (db m142726) HM
Onondaga Indians, the keepers of the council fires for the Iroquois League, lived here. French soldiers and Jesuit missionaries came from Canada in 1654 to seek their friendship. In that year, Father Simon Le Moyne discovered salt springs in the . . . — — Map (db m57112) HM
Onondaga Indians, the keepers of the council fires for the Iroquois League, lived here. French soldiers and Jesuit missionaries came from Canada in 1654 to seek their friendship. In that year, Father Simon LeMoyne discovered salt springs in the . . . — — Map (db m64982) HM
Senior Chief Engineer
of the New York Canals
His public history may be found
in the history of the General
and State Goverments;
His private [virtues?] in the memory
of his acquaintances
Born in Pennsylvania
July 22, 1763. . . . — — Map (db m181134) HM
At this point in 1828, water from Seneca Lake was first released into the newly constructed Cayuga-Seneca Canal, forming a navigable link to the Erie Canal. The waterway enabled commerce to flow between Seneca and the Hudson River and soon became an . . . — — Map (db m60113) HM
Seneca Indians often camped along the lower Genesee River where Rochester eventually developed. During the 17th century, French soldiers and missionaries visited the area. In 1803, Nathaniel Rochester, William Fitzhugh and Charles Carroll of . . . — — Map (db m57114) HM
250 people & 5 horses gathered here on a wooden bridge to watch a tightrope walker cross the canal. It collapsed killing 15 people — — Map (db m78125) HM
Breadbasket of the United States: The Erie Canal opened up the world to our region’s farmers. Agricultural products and raw materials were distributed to distant locations, beyond the reach of horse and buggy. Lower costs and decreased . . . — — Map (db m206656) HM
Lafayette passed near this site as he traveled the canal overnight June 6-7, 1825 from Lockport to Rochester on his way back to Boston — — Map (db m206653) HM
The Holley Loop The unusually deep ravine formed by the east branch of the Sandy Creek presented a difficult engineering problem for the builders of the original Erie Canal in the early 1820s. Engineers decided to diverge from the canal's general . . . — — Map (db m92515) HM
Norway Colony Site of first Norwegian settlement in America, 1825. The "Sloopers" were the first immigrant group to travel on the completed Erie Canal. — — Map (db m90135) HM
[facing west] John Ryan 1801-96 The first to establish a stone quarry business here in 1837 naming his product Medina Sandstone. (over) [facing east] Medina Sandstone Used for paving blocks, walks, curbs and in . . . — — Map (db m77920) HM
A fine example of Greek revival architecture, the Servoss-Hagood House is further distinguished by its plank-on-plank construction. The home was built by Erie Canal workers, even as the canal, linking the Hudson River with Lake Erie, was excavated. — — Map (db m83357) HM
The first and only road culvert ever built under the Erie Canal passes directly below here. The culvert was built in 1823 during construction of Clinton's Ditch. Its cornerstone, which still exists, is part of the foundation of the Vernon Toussaint . . . — — Map (db m81988) HM
[east side] Welcome to the Canalway Trail System, offering hundreds of miles of scenic trails and numerous parks for walking, bicycling, cross country skiing and other recreational activities. The Canalway Trail parallels the New York State Canal . . . — — Map (db m82030) HM
