The Erie Canal
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 tha
From the beginning, the Erie Canal was an enormous success. Before it opened, “a shipper paid $100 to send a ton of freight from Buffalo to New York City and the trip took 20 days. The canal made it possible to deliver a ton of freight for only $10 in eight days.”(Buehr, 39) “The construction of the Erie Canal was thus, the first –and quite possibly the best-school of general engineering in the country”(Cowan, 103) Business increased in every canal town, western land values skyrocketed, and the canal was swamped with traffic, including thousands of immigrants on their way to take up free land in the west. After the opening of the canal, additional canals were constructed to connect the Erie Canal to Lake Champlain , Lake Ontario, and the Finger Lakes. The Erie Canal and its neighbors became known as the New York State Canal System. Now, the canals are primarily used for pleasure boating - bike paths, trails, and recreational marinas line the canal today. The development of the railroad in the 19th century and the automobile in the 20th century sealed the fate of the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal cost $7 million dollars to build but reduced shipping costs significantly. Before the canal, the cost to ship one ton of goods from Buffalo to New York City cost $100. After the canal, the same ton could be shipped for a mere $10. The ease of trade prompted migration and the development of farms throughout the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest. Farm fresh produce could be shipped to the growing metropolitan areas of the east and consumer goods could be shipped west. Before 1825, more than 85% of the population of New York State lived in rural villages of less than 3,000 people. With the opening of the Erie Canal, the urban to rural ratio began to change dramatically. Still, progress was slow. Steam shovels and cement had not yet been invented, so the walls had to be laid up stone by stone. Many locks had to be built, dams were needed to hold the water that kept the
Some topics in this essay:
Erie Canal,
American Leadership,
Canal Money,
York City,
Mississippi River,
Philadelphia Baltimore,
Canal System,
Erie Lakes,
Midwest Farm,
River Buffalo,
erie canal,
york city,
hudson river,
lake erie,
miles 24 period,
24 period,
canal cost,
york canal,
buffalo york,
transportation due,
buffalo york city,
canal lake,
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Approximate Word count = 1338
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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