The Erie Canal is a man-made water canal located in New York, which runs through the Hudson River in Albany to Lake Erie in Buffalo, which is 363 meters long, 40 feet deep, and 4 feet wide. It not only became a great waterway but also a magnificent tourist attraction, which improved the economy in New York cities.
- The idea of constructing the canal was first proposed in the early 17th century then it was turned down by the federal government as it was a too ambitious project to undertake.
- The construction idea was re-proposed again in 1807 by the governor of New York.
- The New York assembly surveyed and authorized them to create the great canal.
- The Erie Canal’s purpose is to provide a direct water route from New York City and the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes as there were no waterways to the 150 miles of Lake Erie.
- It created a great revolutionary change in trading, transportation, industrialization which majorly took part in the cost reduction for goods transportation.
- German, British, and Irish people were involved in the construction. They used buffaloes and horses to complete the project.
- Many new engineering techniques and equipment were developed during its construction which helped to uproot trees and stumps.
- The canal has been enlarged two times. Locks were extended from 80-110 feet of double locks and widened to 18 feet. Locks were used for raising and lowering the canal stretches to avoid boat traffic. By the middle century, it has been re-built along with lake Champlain, Cayuga- Seneca which connects to Lake Erie.
- It had a great impact on New York history and created booming economic growth for the U.S.
- Thomson Jefferson, an opponent of Clinton, mocked the canal project by naming it as “Clinton’s Ditch or Clinton’s Folly” then he regretted it later as it has been recognized as Engineering Marvel.
- The canal was fully built by the amateurs as there were no schools or colleges for engineering.