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Erie Canal

Also Known As Clinton's Big Ditch
Canals and Artificial Waterways

A canal in New York State connecting the Hudson River at Albany to Lake Erie at Buffalo, opened in 1825 after eight years of construction. It gave the port of New York a water route to the Great Lakes and the interior of North America, sharply cutting the cost of shipping goods and driving New York's growth into the nation's busiest port, and it spurred a wave of American canal building in its wake. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Completion Year
1825 1
Significance
Gave New York a water route to the Great Lakes, sharply cutting shipping costs and driving the ports growth. 1
Classification
Status
Operational 1
Heritage Designation
Nationally Designated Heritage Site 1
Connections

Operated By

Source Wikipedia: Erie Canal
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Erie Canal
Wikipedia
  • Overview
  • Lead section
    Political opponents of the canal, referring to its lead supporter New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, denigrated the project as Clinton's Folly and Clinton's Big Ditch.
  • Current use section
    Today, the Erie Canal is mainly used by recreational watercraft.
  • Heritage corridor section
    In 2000, Congress designated the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor to protect and promote the system.
  • Article lead
    Congress designated the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
  • Part Of: Maritime Transport
  • Part Of: Inland Waterway Transport, Construction and operation
    Canal boats up to 3.5 feet (1.1 m) in draft were pulled by horses and mules walking on the towpath.
  • In Group: Historic and Inland Canals, Lead sentence
    The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie.
  • Operated By: New York State Canal Corporation, Infobox: navigation_authority
    New York State Canal Corporation
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