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www.bethpagecommunity.com
travel.nostalgiaville.com www.flickr.com
The Erie Canal
www.orbitals.com
THE Erie Canal
The canal provided the first important link between the
Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes.
The Erie Canal
In order to open the country west of the Appalachian
Mountains to settlers and to offer a cheap and safe way to
carry produce to a market. The construction of a canal was proposed as early as
1768.
Travel
The Erie Canal helped thousands of settlers make their way west to start new
lives.
Location of People
At the start of the 1800s, most Americans lived along
the Atlantic seaboard, a narrow stretch of land on the
East Coast.
Christopher Colles
In 1784, an Irish engineer named Christopher Colles
presented a plan for a canal to the New York state
Legislature.
Opening a Waterway
In 1792, the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company
was formed with the goal of opening a waterway between the Hudson River and Great
Lakes to the west.
First Try
In 1793, the company began digging a canal.
Robert Fulton
In 1797, inventor Robert Fulton wrote a letter to
President George Washington about the possibility of
building a long canal in New York State.
Judge James Geddes
The survey was led by Judge James Geddes, who
eventually walked much of the distance.
De Witt Clinton
In 1817, Clinton was elected governor of New York.
Building the Canal
“Nothing like the Erie Canal had ever been built in the
United States”.
Building the Canal
In 1817, there were very few engineers in the United States
with any experience in designing canals.
Building the Canal
The builders of the Erie Canal had to learn as they worked.
Building the Canal
An English engineer named William Weston agreed to provide expert help to the planners of the Erie Canal.
Building the Canal
The Canal’s beam measured ten feet wide.
Building the Canal
The land of New York state was anything but flat and
level.
Building the Canal
Engineers also had to find ways to build the canal over swamps, valleys, and rivers.
Building the Canal
On July 4, 1817, a crowd gathered in Rome, New York,
to see construction begin.
Song
The Erie Canal is famous in song and story. Proposed in
1808 and completed in 1825, the canal links the waters of Lake Erie in the west to the Hudson River in the east.
Opening
A small section of the canal opened to boat traffic in
1819. The entire canal was opened in 1825.
References
Santella, Andrew. The Erie Canal. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Compass Point Books, 2005.
May 30, 2008 < http:// www.orbitals.com
May 30, 2008 < http://www. flickr.com
May 30, 2008 < http://www.bethpagecommunity.com
May 30, 2008 < http://travel.nostalgiaville.com