Monday, July 3, 2017

Erie Canal: 200th Anniversary is July 4, 2017



Work started on the Erie Canal in Rome, NY on July 4, 1817

Stretching from Albany on the Hudson River to Buffalo on Lake Erie, the design of this canal was done by skilled craftsmen and surveyors who were self taught engineers.  Laborers were brought in to hand dig it. 1000 men died in a season from malaria.

This was a huge deal for America. It managed to link markets the midwest to the east. While it eventually was eclipsed by the railroads that followed, it is still one of the most significant infrastructure projects in U.S. history.  




Salt Lake Tribune: How the Erie Canal contributed to the spread of Mormonism, Adventism and Free Love



Ways the Erie Canal changed America

AoSHQ: NY leaders not the same now

3 comments:

  1. Very cool, didn't know that.

    PS The Kingston Trio did the song better.

    ReplyDelete

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