In the early eighteen hundreds transportation lacked the efficiency and practicality that we are used to in today's society. What were once called roads were no more then beaten paths made by animals or the constant travel of horse and wagon. Rivers were an unreliable source of transportation due to the current, constant changes in the wind, beaver damns, droughts, and of course mother-nature. The lack of transportation kept the west out of the economy for the most part. Farmers would make the trip from the west with their crop but it did not make sense for the majority of people because the cost of transportation was very high due to the slow pace and consumption of time. The farmers were not making profits which lead many to the idea of joining the east and the west, north and south to boost the economy. Roads, turnpikes, and railroads accomplished the goals of many to join America as one; with one economy. Besides these means, there was another way of transportation that is often overlooked, the canal. Canals are man made waterways that we, not mother-nature, can control that would connect two main water sources for easy transportation. The Erie Canal is a wonderful example of one such waterway that was built in record time, boosted New York's economy and was an example of great American achievement.
After a second war against Great Britain, the War of 1812, the people of the United States were feeling confident about the future of their expanding nation. Thousands of pioneers struggled over a rough barrier: the thickly wooded Appalachian Mountains that extended down the continent. On the other side was the tantalizing west, stretching clear to the Mississippi River and beyond.
Settlers" wagons jolted down roads that had once been Indian trails. When farmers and fur trappers got to the lonely frontier, they found that it cost too much and took too long to ship apples, flour, wood, and pelts to the eastern markets.
The canal was to become the famous Erie Canal. ... From the beginning, the Erie Canal was an enormous success. ... Before the railroads, the Erie Canal was the main route to the West. ... The success of the Erie Canal was also a turning point for New York City. ... The Erie Canal and its neighbors became known as the New York State Canal System. ...
The opening of the Erie Canal also gave Cleveland a new dream: cut a canal that would link Cleveland to the Ohio River. ... the canal matched the dimensions of the Erie Canal: 40 feet wide, 4-1/2 feet deep. The Erie Canal was 363 miles long; the Ohio Canal would be 307 miles. But the Ohio Canal would be more difficult to build because it would require twice as many locks as the [Erie Canal]. The route of the Ohio and Erie Canal is shown in the map on the following page. ...
Although the California Gold Rush is an extreme example people of the pre phone era were also quite creative with their means of communication; the opening of the Erie Canal best shows this. ... The Erie Canal was a big deal for everyone within its vicinity since the Hudson and Lake Erie were now linked. ... People goods and information could now be floated to their destination via the Erie Canal. ... The Erie Canal was a big deal for everyone within its vicinity since the Hudson and Lake Erie were now linked. ... People goods and information could now be floated to their destination via the E...
Canals became a great asset when the roads became impassable. Most all of the canals were constructed to link three kinds of areas: "back country" to tide water, canals would transverse between older states and the Ohio valley, and the many western canals would link the Great Lakes and waterways running to the east. The Erie Canal started in Albany on the Hudson River and traveled up the state of New York to Buffalo to Lake Erie. The canal ran for a distance of 364 miles. By the 1840's the United States had 3,326 miles of canals. ...
By the 1800's, steamboats made an emergence, and canals became a popular means of transportation. ... For that reason, they made the Erie Canal. Construction on the canal began in 1817, and by the year 1845, more than 3,300 miles of canals were being used. By the 1860's, however, the boom of canals was nearly over. ... This led to the emergence of canals being used for transportation, and allowed for easier travel. ...
Although canals were as old as Egypt, only about 100 miles of them existed in the United States as late as 1816. Construction costs aside, in a rough and mountainous country canals presented formidable engineering problems. ... In 1810, while serving as state canal commissioner, he traveled across central New York and convined himself that it would be practicable to dig a canal from Buffalo, on Lake Erie, to the Hudson River. The Erie Canal, as it was called, was a remarkable accomplishment. ... Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and half a dozen lesser towns along the canal flourished. ...
The Erie Canal is born, which is the biggest construction project in the western world in the last 4,000 years. ... A wall of solid limestone 60 feet high, just 30 miles from the finish line is, Lake Erie. This canal would link the Atlantic Ocean to the middle of America. ... But, politically the canal is a huge gamble. ... As a result, eight years of digging, over 1,000 lives lost, the cost over one hundred million dollars, the Erie Canal opens in 1825. ...
The Erie Canal would connect a port of New York City by beginning at the Hudson River. ... On July 4, 1817 construction of the Erie Canal began in Rome, New York. On October 25, 1825 the entire length of the Erie Canal was complete. ... The Erie Canal reduced shipping costs significantly. ... After the opening of the Erie Canal, the urban to rural ratio began to change dramatically. ...
