Erie Canal information

Route map
	Legend
	Hudson River
	to New York Bay
	Champlain Canal
	to Lake Champlain
	Oswego Canal
	to Lake Ontario
	Cayuga–Seneca Canal
	to Cayuga Lake & Seneca Lake
	Welland Canal
	to Lake Ontario
	; GG = Guard Gate
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

Erie Canal
Erie Canal
	Tugboat at Lock E33 in Rochester
	Current route of the Erie Canal
Location	Upstate New York
Country	United States
Specifications
Length	351 miles (565 km); (originally 363 mi or 584 km)
Lock length	328 ft (100 m); (originally 90 ft or 27 m)
Lock width	45 ft (14 m); (originally 15 ft or 4.6 m)
Maximum boat draft	12 ft (3.7 m)
Locks	36[self-published source?]
Maximum height above sea level	571 ft (174 m)
Status	Open
Navigation authority	New York State Canal Corporation
History
Original owner	New York State
Principal engineer	Benjamin Wright
Other engineer(s)	Canvass White, Amos Eaton
Construction began	July 4, 1817; 206 years ago (at Rome, New York)
Date of first use	May 17, 1821; 202 years ago
Date completed	October 26, 1825; 198 years ago
Date restored	September 3, 1999; 24 years ago
Geography
Start point	Hudson River near Albany, New York
End point	Niagara River near Buffalo, New York
Beginning coordinates	42°47′00″N 73°40′36″W / 42.7834°N 73.6767°W
Ending coordinates	43°01′25″N 78°53′24″W / 43.0237°N 78.8901°W
Branch(es)	Oswego Canal, Cayuga–Seneca Canal
Branch of	New York State Canal System
Connects to	Champlain Canal, Welland Canal
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	Hudson River
	to New York Bay
	Champlain Canal
	to Lake Champlain
	Oswego Canal
	to Lake Ontario
	Cayuga–Seneca Canal
	to Cayuga Lake & Seneca Lake
	Welland Canal
	to Lake Ontario
	; GG = Guard Gate
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing the costs of transporting people and goods across the Appalachians. In effect, the canal accelerated the settlement of the Great Lakes region, the westward expansion of the United States, and the economic ascendancy of New York State. It has been called "The Nation's First Superhighway."^[2]

A canal from the Hudson to the Great Lakes was first proposed in the 1780s, but a formal survey was not conducted until 1808. The New York State Legislature authorized construction in 1817. Political opponents of the canal, and of its lead supporter New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, denigrated the project as "Clinton's Folly" and "Clinton's Big Ditch". Nonetheless, the canal saw quick success upon opening on October 26, 1825, with toll revenue covering the state's construction debt within the first year of operation. The westward connection gave New York City a strong advantage over all other U.S. ports and brought major growth to canal cities such as Albany, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo.

The construction of the Erie Canal was a landmark civil engineering achievement in the early history of the United States. When built, the 363-mile (584 km) canal was the second-longest in the world (after the Grand Canal in China). Initially 40 feet (12 m) wide and 4 feet (1.2 m) deep, the canal was expanded several times, most notably from 1905 to 1918 when the "Barge Canal" was built and over half the original route was abandoned. The modern Barge Canal measures 351 miles (565 km) long, 120 feet (37 m) wide, and 12 feet (3.7 m) deep. It has 34 locks, including the Waterford Flight, the steepest locks in the United States. When leaving the canal, boats must also traverse the Black Rock Lock to reach Lake Erie or the Troy Federal Lock to reach the tidal Hudson. The overall elevation difference is about 565 feet (172 m).

The Erie's peak year was 1855, when 33,000 commercial shipments took place. It continued to be competitive with railroads until about 1902, when tolls were abolished. Commercial traffic declined heavily in the latter half of the 20th century due to competition from trucking and the 1959 opening of the larger St. Lawrence Seaway. The canal's last regularly scheduled hauler, the Day Peckinpaugh, ended service in 1994.

Today, the Erie Canal is mainly used by recreational watercraft. It connects the three other canals in the New York State Canal System: the Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga–Seneca. Some long-distance boaters take the Erie as part of the Great Loop. The canal has also become a tourist attraction in its own right—a number of parks and museums are dedicated to its history. The New York State Canalway Trail is a popular cycling path that follows the canal across the state. In 2000, Congress designated the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor to protect and promote the system.

^ "Locks on the Erie Canal". The Erie Canal. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
^ Christopher Maag (November 2, 2008). "Hints of Comeback for Nation's First Superhighway". The New York Times.

[1] "Locks on the Erie Canal". The Erie Canal. Retrieved March 9, 2017.

[NYTimes-2] Christopher Maag (November 2, 2008). "Hints of Comeback for Nation's First Superhighway". The New York Times.

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