It connected akron with the cuyahoga river near its outlet on lake erie in cleveland, and a few years later, with the ohio river near portsmouth. The erie canal is a destination for tourists from all over the world, and has inspired guidebooks dedicated to exploration of the waterway. If the works listed are available on the web or have a related web page, that fact is noted in the description. The canal, stretching from new york to lake erie, opened up the west in the early 1800s. By 1896 lengthened chambers let most erie canal locks pass two boats through in tandem. National park service founders and frontiersmen erie canal. A dip in a city street is one of the last reminders of a canal that cut a path through eries downtown in the mid1800s. Teaching the erie canal with literature and a group projectthis lesson goes perfectly with new york state social studies standards on the erie canal or any class that learns about canals in their transportation unit. This was a good book about an underappreciated, and not much talked about, time in our history. If searching for a specific place name, canal, region, topic, etc. The erie canal was a preposterous idea a manmade waterway, spanning wilderness valleys and rivers, channeling through hills of solid rock or climbing over them, flowing across marshes and thickly wooded forests, all the way across new york state. Erie canal by erie canal museum, martin morganstein and. New yorks erie canal in the south hall of the huxley theatre. Our job is to help paint the picture of this city and region we live in, said stetson, telling how the canal impacted it, changed it and created it.
Senator and was the ten time mayor of new york city. Erie canal is a compilation of 200 vintage images from the erie canal museums documentary collection of new yorks canal system. Chronicles the story of the erie canal from its inception to today. The erie canal opens, connecting the great lakes with the atlantic ocean via the hudson river. Vintage postcards depict life and industry along the canal, including not only the erie itself but also the lateral. The canal was enlarged in the mid1800s, and it continued to be used for freight transportation for decades. Our country no publisher information, book v, chap. On october 25, 1825, the entire length of the erie canal was complete. New york has long been a state of big ideas and the kind of cando spirit that turns them into reality. Ohio and erie canal local and regional history books. Martin morganstein, development director of the museum, and joan h. In 1830, the ohio legislature earmarked funds for the miami and erie canals extension to defiance and lake erie. So before you brush this historical site off as a boring collection of stone, grass, and water, remember that america was practically born in this very spot.
Just to get pictures of canal routes, steam engine history etc. The erie canal discovery center offers users an immersive movie, and a hands on learning experience to help visitors to better understand the history of the erie canal. A recently released book details the history of the canal in photos. Skeptics claimed the project would end up as nothing more than an expensive failure, good only to line the pockets of politicians and bankrupt the state. Learn more about the canal, including its construction. A great project that thomas jefferson judged to be little short of madness, and that others. This book hit all my buttons as history, as an engineering history about a world class project, about.
By 1780 canal building had become a frenzy across england. He believed that his city could only become a major economic force by the building of the erie canal. The building of the erie canal, like the construction of the. Medina an accomplished musician and educator with a particular interest in the erie canal will be at the book shoppe from 11 a. In this edition, sal shows off the canal system, shares the song that made him famous and hopes to entice his fans with coloring pages, connectthedots, word jumbles and a. Erie canal book talk and gallery tour at nys museum the. The miami and erie canal would take an additional twelve years to finish, because the state legislature only originally authorized its completion from cincinnati to just north of dayton. The erie canal museum, founded in 1962, seeks to keep erie canal history and heritage alive. Erie canal, new york postcard history series by andrew p. The erie canal museum is also currently featuring an artistled lecture and workshop series called reflections on eries waters. The canal stretched 363 miles from buffalo to albany and 150 miles down the hudson. The erie canal has been featured in many works of fiction and nonfiction. Governor dewitt clinton of new york, the driving force behind the. The canal consisted of 85 locks to manage a 500 foot 150 meter rise in elevation from the hudson river to buffalo.
Erie canal to open from lockport to finger lakes by july 4 in this view of the erie canal locks at lockport, the two modern locks are on the left and the 19thcentury flight of five is on the. Although it is a worthwhile read, to me this book is more of a political history of new. The successful completion of the canal introduced an era of canal fever in every section of the countrya fever that abated only with the development of the railroads. New book about erie canal focuses on musical history of the historic.
The canals impact on america and beyond is comparable to the global impact of the internet. I had to be connected to wikipedia while reading the book. In april 1817 the new york legislature authorized funding for the construction of a 364mile canal to link albany on the hudson river with buffalo on lake erie. The history of the important miami and erie canal detailed in a new. New book features history, art of the erie canal new. A heavily illustrated history of the erie canal intended for young readers. When completed in 1825, the engineering marvel unlocked the western interior for trade and settlement, boomtowns sprang up along the canals.
Seeing history on the erie canal is now available on amazon. The erie canal was the marvel of the age, and it was celebrated in songs, illustrations, paintings, and popular folklore. The erie canal officially closed in 1917, although sections continued to be used for several years after, said david beebe, one of the founders of camillus canal society. The ohio and erie canal was a canal constructed during the 1820s and early 1830s in ohio. The canal, 363 miles 584 km long, was the first canal in the united states to connect western waterways with the atlantic ocean. The erie canal had an enormous impact on new york and america in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and its construction and history was recorded in books, pamphlets and magazine articles. Erie canal discovery center the history center of niagara. Joining us to take a look at some of that history and efforts to preserve it are the. Buffalo and erie county historical society, c1964 20 p. In this edition, sal shows off the canal system, shares the song that made him famous and hopes to entice his fans with coloring pages, connectthedots, word jumbles and a little bit of history. Click the following link to view the canal map book reference guide the map books are for the most part unindexed. Kendalls illustrated history brings into focus the enormous geographic and social impact of this stunning technological feat. The erie canal in new york states history and future.
The collection includes monographs relating to western new york history. Erie canalway national heritage corridor history and. His depictions of life along the erie canal suggest a busy, thriving population, and his historical notes at the end add many practical details from the canals beginning in 1817 to its end in 1917. Although it is a worthwhile read, to me this book is more of a political history of new york state from 1810 to 1830 than a book on the building of the erie canal. The lesson uses the book the erie canal by lisa bullard. A visionary and astute politician, clinton had been a u. Inspired by the erie canal in new york, the state of ohio began surveying routes in 1822 for its own grand internal improvement project. The books include illustrations of notable buildings, as well as biographical sketches and portraits of prominent residents. The erie canal is a 363mile waterway that connects the great lakes with the atlantic ocean via the hudson river in upstate new york. Historical timeline erie canalway national heritage corridor. The history and art of new yorks erie canal suny press excelsior editions, 2020 chronicles the story of the erie canal from its inception to today one of the largest public works projects in american history, the erie canal inspired a nationwide transportation revolution and directed the course of new york and american history. For the first time in the history of the united states, a cheap, fast route ran through the appalachians, the mountains that had so effectively divided the.
The building of the erie canal, like the construction of the brooklyn bridge and the panama canal, is one of the greatest and most riveting stories of american ingenuity. The history of the erie canal is a story of american ingenuity. This selected bibliography is only a brief sampling. Credit for this entrepreneurial attitude is due, in part, to a nationallysignificant treasure. Even president thomas jefferson, usually ahead of his time, believed that it could not be built for at least a century, and yet, the erie canal came to be just as its planners had thought it would. Erie canal to open from lockport to finger lakes by july 4. The erie canal released the promise of a new nation. The erie canal tells the story of one of americas most ambitious publicworks projects. Thomas allens low bridge, everybody down has achieved iconic status in the american songbook, but its true story has never been told until now. The new york state museum is set to hold a book talk and gallery tour, focusing on the erie canal, on wednesday, september 25th, from 6 to 8 pm before the presentation, exhibit curator and senior historian brad utter will lead a themed exhibit tour of enterprising waters.
There have been a number of books written about ohios nineteenthcentury canal system, especially about the. Cregg, volunteer guide and researcher at the museum, have carefully selected from the museums extensive collection over two hundred images that depict life on the erie canal. The erie canals creation and history had roots in every major facet of society, and because of that fact, this country was able to grow, prosper, from cities and other settlements. Life working along the banks of the erie canal is preserved in the songs of americas rich musical history. The erie canal and the paradox of progress, 18171862. While the canal had many fathers, its foremost proponent and promoter was dewitt clinton. New york has been trying to figure out what to do with the erie canal for more than a century the canals glorious early years are a staple in history books and social studies classes. An erie canal cruise company, based in herkimer, operates from midmay until midoctober with daily cruises.
Completed a decade later, the 309milelong ohio and erie canal connected cleveland, akron, massillon, dover, roscoe, newark, columbus, circleville, chillicothe, waverly, and portsmouth. Touring the erie canal on a rented canal boat part 1 of 3. One of the largest public works projects in american history, the erie canal inspired a nationwide transportation revolution and directed the course of new york and american history. The canal was 363 miles 584 kilometers long, 40 feet 12 m wide, and 4 feet deep 1. Chemung, chenango, crooked lake, oneida lake, and genesee valley canals abandoned, late 1870s.
It also had connections to other canal systems in pennsylvania the canal carried freight traffic from 1827 to 1861, when the construction of railroads ended demand. Erie canal, historic waterway of the united states, connecting the great lakes with new york city via the hudson river at albany. This section of the erie canal web site contains a number of historical texts relating to the erie canal, some as scans of the original documents. The new york state canal system is not only rich in history, but also culture. A dip in a city street is one of the last reminders of a canal that cut a. Bestselling author peter bernstein presents the story of the canals construction against the larger tableau of america in the first quartercentury of the 1800s. Built between 1817 and 1825, the original erie canal traversed 363 miles from albany to. I love peter spiers picture books, and this is no exception. Navigating through the erie canals history syracuse new. The cruise goes through the history of the canal and also takes passengers through lock 18. Overhead aqueducts were used to allow streams to cross the canal. Built between 1817 and 1825, the original erie canal traversed 363 miles from albany to buffalo. Definitely more of a history book as opposed to an engineering book on how the canal was built, but definitely worth the read to realize the impact the canal had on society at the time.
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