On July 4th, 1817, ground was broken for the Erie Canal at Rome, N.Y. Two hundred years later, 2017, is the celebration of the bicentennial of this historic event. Proposed in 1808 and completed in 1825, the canal links the waters of Lake Erie in the west to the Hudson River in the east. An engineering marvel when it was built, some called it the Eighth Wonder of the World.

In order to open the country west of the Appalachian Mountains to settlers and to offer a cheap and safe way to carry produce to a market, the construction of a canal was proposed as early as 1768. However, those early proposals would connect the Hudson River with Lake Ontario near Oswego. It was not until 1808 that the state legislature funded a survey for a canal that would connect to Lake Erie. Finally, on July 4, 1817, the construction of the canal began. In those early days, it was often sarcastically referred to as "Clinton's Big Ditch". However, two years after construction began, the first section of the canal, between Rome and Utica, saw the beginning of commercial traffic. Use of the canal expanded as other sections were completed. When finally completed on October 26, 1825, it was the engineering marvel of its day. It was 363 miles long and included 18 aqueducts to carry the canal over ravines and rivers, and 83 locks, with a rise of 568 feet from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. It was 4 feet deep and 40 feet wide, and floated boats carrying 30 tons of freight. A ten foot wide towpath was built along the bank of the canal for the horses and/or mules which pulled the boats and their driver, often a young boy (sometimes referred to by later writers as a "hoggee").

In order to keep pace with the growing demands of traffic, the Erie Canal was enlarged between 1836 and 1862. The "Enlarged Erie Canal" was 350.5 miles long, 7 feet deep and 70 feet wide, and could handle boats carrying 240 tons. The number of locks was reduced to 72. Most of the remaining traces of the Old Erie Canal are from the Enlarged Erie era.

In 1903, the State again decided to enlarge the canal by the construction of what was termed the "Barge Canal", consisting of the Erie Canal and the three chief branches of the State system -- the Champlain Canal, the Oswego Canal, and the Cayuga and Seneca Canal. The resulting Erie Barge Canal was completed in 1918, and is 12 to 14 feet deep, 120 to 200 feet wide, and 338 miles long, from Waterford to Tonawanda. 36 Locks were built to handle barges carrying up to 3,000 tons of cargo, with lifts of 6 to 40 feet. This is the Erie Canal which today is utilized more often by recreational boats than cargo-carrying barges.

Particularly interesting portions of the original "Clinton's Ditch" Canal and the Enlarged Erie Canal include:

The locks at Lockport, where the current double 24 1/2 foot high locks are adjacent to one sequence of the original 5 lock pairs. In 2013-2014 and 2019, three of the original locks were restored to operating condition, with plans to restore the other two in the works.

The Fairport Lift Bridge, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in August 2014 and is an engineering curiosity due to the slope and angle of the bridge.

The remains of several early canal structures in the Macedon and Palmyra area, including the remains of the Mud Creek Aqueduct and the rebuilt Aldrich Change Bridge, as well as current canal lock E-29.

The several mile long stretch between Lyons and Lock Berlin, which includes Enlarged Erie Canal Lock No. 56 and its associated locktender's house and mule barn (now a private residence), current canal Lock E-28A and its associated drydock and Canal Corporation maintenance buildings, the end piers of the Lyons Aqueduct, current canal Lock E-27, traces of the original "Clinton's Ditch" Canal and the Enlarged Erie Canal (some sections watered), and Enlarged Erie Canal Lock No. 54.

Old Erie Canal State Historic Park, a 36 mile linear park that preserves the remains of the historic Enlarged Erie Canal from DeWitt to Rome.

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site, including "Clinton's Ditch" Canal Lock No. 20 and a Guard Lock, Enlarged Erie Canal Lock Nos. 28 and 29; several arches of the Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, and current canal Lock E-12.

About this Site

This web site is devoted to the history of the Erie Canal in general, but focuses to some extent on the middle and western portions of the canal.

The main sections of this site provide views of the old Erie Canal in three ways:

Erie Canal Images -- Old prints, paintings, and postcards

Traces of the Old Erie Canal -- Recent photographs of the remains of old Erie Canal sites and structures, primarily those from the Enlarged Erie Canal era (post-1862)

Tour the Old Erie Canal -- A journey from Buffalo in the west to Albany in the east by way of a clickable map of the Erie Canal path, and incorporating material from both the Images and Traces sections with additional material.

A good introduction to the history of the Erie Canal can be found on the 175th Anniversary Exhibit pages, which originally accompanied an exhibit put together by the Mandeville Gallery of Union College in Schenectady to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the opening of the Erie Canal. More historical information can be found in the Historical Documents section and in the materials listed on the Books and Videos page, or by following the Erie Canal Related Links. Historical and recent maps can be found on the Erie Canal Maps page.

For information about the Erie Canal of today, visit the official New York State Canal Corporation web site.