...............The Erie Canal: An Engineering Marvel...............
The Erie Canal, finished in 1825 ,was the engineering breakthrough of the 19th century. It was a more efficient way of travel than that on a dirt road.
The canal had four waterways including the Erie, the Champlain, Oswego, and the Cayuga-Seneca which travel through New York. Being, 363 miles, it connects Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Utica, as well as New York City. With the creation of the canal, New York City's population increased from 124,000 to nearly 800,000!The system also joined together the manufacturing and trade centers of the nation. Because of this, shipping costs also dropped drastically. |
Sources: Information:
"Westward Expansion (1807-1912)." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d.Web. 02 Oct. 2014. "New York State Canals." Canal History -. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2014. "The Erie Canal Today: The NYS Canal System - Innovation in History: The Erie Canal & Buffalo's Connection." The Erie Canal Today: The NYS Canal System - Innovation in History: The Erie Canal & Buffalo's Connection. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2014. Pictures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairport,_Ne w_York#mediaviewer/ File:Erie_Canal_-_Fairport_Lift_Bridge.JPG http://petersoncivilwar.wikispaces.com/ file/view/Erie-Canal-lock.jpg/344834230/Erie-Canal-lock.jpg http://www.greatlakescruising.com/bssa/ erie-canal-great-lakes_map.jpg http://mrkash.com/activities/images/erieca naltravel.jpg Fun Facts:
-Did you know that over 1000 of the workers building the canal died of swamp fever ?
-The Erie Canal contains 83 locks. |