Table of Contents
In what state was the Erie Canal built?
New York State
On April 15th, 1817, the New York State Legislature finally approved construction of the Erie Canal, which Jesse Hawley had written so compellingly about just a decade earlier. The bill authorized $7 million for construction of the 363-mile long waterway, which was to be 40 feet wide and four feet deep.
Where does the Erie Canal begin and end?
| Erie Canal | |
|---|---|
| Start point | Hudson River near Albany, New York (42.7834°N 73.6767°W) |
| End point | Niagara River near Buffalo, New York (43.0237°N 78.8901°W) |
| Branch(es) | Oswego Canal, Cayuga–Seneca Canal |
| Branch of | New York State Canal System |
When was the Erie Canal built?
1817
Built between 1817 and 1825, the original Erie Canal traversed 363 miles from Albany to Buffalo. It was the longest artificial waterway and the greatest public works project in North America. The canal put New York on the map as the Empire State—the leader in population, industry, and economic strength.
How long did it take the Erie Canal to be built?
8 years
The canal was completed in only 8 years at a cost of $7,000,000. When completed on October 26, 1825, DeWitt Clinton (by then Governor of New York) boarded a vessel, the Seneca Chief, in Buffalo and headed to New York City.
Who operates Erie Canal?
The Canal Corporation
The Canal Corporation runs the New York State Canal System, which includes the Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca canals.
When was the Erie Canal built and when was it completed?
Taking advantage of the Mohawk River gap in the Appalachian Mountains, the Erie Canal, 363 miles (584 km) long, was the first canal in the United States to connect western waterways with the Atlantic Ocean. Construction began in 1817 and was completed in 1825.
Why was the Erie Canal a National Heritage Corridor?
The canal transformed New York City into the young nation’s economic powerhouse, and in 2000 the U.S. Congress designated the Erie Canal a National Heritage Corridor. Early explorers in America had long searched for a water route from East Coast population centers to the resource-rich lands of the Midwest and Great Lakes.
What’s the difference between the Erie Canal and the barge canal?
The waterway today referred to as the Erie Canal is quite different from the nineteenth-century Erie Canal. More than half of the original Erie Canal was destroyed or abandoned during construction of the New York State Barge Canal in the early 20th century.
Where was the abandoned aqueduct on the Erie Canal?
Derelict aqueduct over Nine Mile Creek north of Camillus, New York built in 1841 and abandoned c. 1918; one of 32 navigable aqueducts on the Erie Canal, it has since been restored.