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Why was the Erie Canal built?
It was built to create a navigable water route from New York City and the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, originally stretching for 363 miles (584 km) from the Hudson River in Albany to Lake Erie in Buffalo.
How long did it take to build the Erie Canal?
8 years
The canal was completed in only 8 years at a cost of $7,000,000. When completed on October 26, 1825, DeWitt Clinton (by then Governor of New York) boarded a vessel, the Seneca Chief, in Buffalo and headed to New York City.
Is the Erie Canal still in use today?
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. Over the years, it has been enlarged three times to accommodate larger boats and more traffic.
What president built the Erie Canal?
DeWitt Clinton
DeWitt Clinton His efforts paid off, and in 1817 the first canal authorization bill passed by a narrow margin. Clinton was elected Governor later that year, just before construction of the Erie Canal started at Rome on July 4, 1817.
How deep is the Erie Canal today?
Fast Facts
| JUST THE FACTS | |
|---|---|
| Canal dimensions, 1862 Enlarged Erie | 7 ft deep x 70 ft wide; lock 110 ft long |
| Canal dimensions, 1918- present Erie Barge Canal | 12-23 ft deep x 120-200 ft wide; locks 310 ft long |
| Cost to build | $7,143,789 |
| Return on Investment | 10 years |
How many workers died building the Erie Canal?
1,000 deaths
Erie Canal: 1,000 deaths Of the 50,000 workers, 1,000 lost their lives, due to disease from the swampy terrain and careless use of gunpowder while blasting. Others drowned or were buried under tons of rubble from frequent canal collapses.
Will the Erie Canal open in 2021?
2021 Navigation Season. The New York State Canal System is open for the 2021 navigation season and there are no tolls or fees for recreational use.
What disease killed almost 1000 Erie Canal workers?
Tens of thousands of workers died constructing the Suez and Panama Canals, but Erie Canal laborers also suffered. While the canal was being dug through Montezuma Swamp north of Seneca Lake, more than a thousand workers were struck down by malaria and cholera. Others fled, and construction almost came to a halt.
When did the construction of the Erie Canal begin?
In 1817 he fortuitously become governor of the state and was able to thus oversee aspects of the canal construction, which later became known as “Clinton’s Ditch” by some. On July 4, 1817, construction of the Erie Canal began in Rome, New York.
When was the eerie canal built?
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.
When was Erie built?
How many miles is the Erie Canal corridor?
The Corridor stretches 524 miles across the full expanse of upstate New York, from Buffalo to Albany and north along the Champlain Canal to Whitehall. It threads 234 diverse communities connected by a waterway that changed not just the landscape of our state, but also our nation and its history.