Who created the Erie Canal?

Asked by: Brandon Edwards

An imprisoned flour merchant named Jesse Hawley envisioned a better way: a Canal from Buffalo on the eastern shore of Lake Erie to Albany on the upper Hudson River, a distance of almost 400 miles.

Who led the Erie Canal?

Governor Dewitt Clinton

The Erie Canal opened on October 26, 1825. A fleet of boats, led by Governor Dewitt Clinton aboard the Seneca Chief sailed from Buffalo to New York City in record time—just ten days. The canal transformed New York City into the commercial capital it remains today.

Who was responsible for building the Erie Canal Why?

It was a dream, and many people scoffed, but when one man, DeWitt Clinton, became involved, the crazy dream started to become reality. When the Erie Canal opened in 1825, it was the marvel of its age. And it was soon a huge economic success.

Was the Erie Canal built by slaves?

Lemmey points out that slavery was not yet abolished in New York during the construction of the Erie Canal, from 1817 to 1825. It ended in the state in 1827. She says that slaves and free blacks living in New York at the time were among those who built the waterway.

What is the history of the Erie Canal?

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.

Why do they drain the Erie Canal?

The Erie Canal is drained every year to allow repairs and maintenance over the winter.

What was the Erie Canal made of?

The man-made waterway, designed by untrained engineers, featured 83 separate locks, two massive stone-and-cement aqueducts to crisscross the Mohawk River, and a final ingenious “flight” of interconnected locks to raise boats over the 70-foot Niagara Escarpment.

When was the Erie Canal filled in?

1825

The Erie Canal, connecting the Hudson River valley with the Great Lakes, was completed in 1825 at a cost of $7 million. It immediately brought economic gains to New York and stimulated development along its entire route.

Why was the canal built?

The Panama Canal was built to lower the distance, cost, and time it took for ships to carry cargo between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Before the canal, ships would have to go around the entire continent of South America.

Why was the canal called Clinton’s Ditch?

New York State’s 6th Governor, Dewitt Clinton, was laughed at for an idea that a man-made waterway system could be created to connect the New York City port to the rest of the state. He was widely ridiculed and the project was nicknamed “Clinton’s Ditch” and “Clinton’s Folly”.

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.

Does the Erie Canal still function?

Nearly 200 years old and still going strong. New York’s canal system has been in continuous operation since 1825, longer than any other constructed transportation system on the North American continent.

How did they dig the Erie Canal?

The canal was built largely with raw manpower provided by Irishmen using primitive tools with very little compensation for their hard work. The men completed a canal that was 40 feet wide, 4 feet deep, and stretched hundreds of miles. It could support boats with 30 tons of freight.

How deep is the Erie Canal now?

Fast Facts

How do boats get past Niagara Falls?

Because the falls have to be bypassed, large ships that ply Lakes Erie and Ontario do so by means of the Welland Canal. The first Welland Canal was built in 1829. Construction of today’s fourth Welland Canal began in 1913 but did not officially open until August 1932.

Can you cross Lake Erie into Canada?

There’s no markers separating Canadian waters from American in Lake Erie. You can cross the invisible boundary line on your boat, no problem. But you must report to customs when you dock or drop anchor in the waters of the other country.

Is Lake Superior salt water?

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. Spanning nearly 32,000 square miles, Lake Superior is not only the largest freshwater lake in the world (by surface area) but it is also one of the largest lakes in the world, second only to the Caspian Sea.

Can a boat go from Lake Michigan to the ocean?

Yes, you can indeed sail from the Great Lakes to the ocean. In this case, the ocean you’d arrive at is the Atlantic Ocean. All five lakes connect to this ocean via the Saint Lawrence River.

Why is Lake Erie so rough?

Rough day: Low pressure and strong winds from the southwest to northeast cause the greatest waves due to the geography of the shoreway. Any time you see those conditions, break out the surf board!

Which Great Lake is the deepest?

Superior

About the Lakes
It contains almost 3,000 cubic miles of water, an amount that could fill all the other Great Lakes plus three additional Lake Eries. With an average depth approaching 500 feet, Superior also is the coldest and deepest (1,332 feet) of the Great Lakes.

Are there sharks in the Great Lakes?

The water temperature in the Great Lakes is far too cold for most sharks (including the Bull Shark). Even if it managed to make it through the summer months, our frigid winters would turn it into a “sharksicle” in no time. It might even suffer from frostbite. Haha, get it?

Are there piranhas in the Great Lakes?

Piranhas

While there’s been no official report of an actual piranha being caught in Lake Michigan, they have been found in smaller lakes around Michigan. At least according to the lifestyle blog Livn Fresh. Upon doing more research, it turns out that a few years ago ‘piranha type fish’ were caught near Detroit.

Can alligators live in the Great Lakes?

Alligators are rarely found in the Great Lakes. Although some alligators thrive in freshwater, it’s just too cold in the north for them to survive. They don’t typically live farther north than North Carolina.

Do Great Lakes connect to ocean?

The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America or the Laurentian Great Lakes, is a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes with sea-like characteristics in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River.

Why are the Great Lakes not salty?

“The Great Lakes are not (noticeably) salty because water flows into them as well as out of them, carrying away the low concentrations of minerals in the water,” writes Michael Moore of Toronto. Eventually, this water, with its small load of dissolved minerals or salts, reaches the sea.

Do the Great Lakes freeze over?

It is sporadic for all the Great Lakes to freeze over entirely. Yet they experience substantial ice coverage, with large sections of each lake freezing over in the coldest months. During the winter of 2013-2014, frigid temperatures covered the Great Lakes and the surrounding states.