USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -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. The canal put New York on the map as the Empire State-the leader in population, industry, and economic strength.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Erie Canal is a 363-mile waterway that connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River in upstate New York. The channel, which traverses New York state from Albany to Buffalo on Lake Erie, was considered an engineering marvel when it first opened in 1825.

Detailed explanation-3: -Construction began on July 4, 1817, at Rome, New York. The first 15 miles (24 km), from Rome to Utica, opened in 1819. At that rate, the canal would not be finished for 30 years.

Detailed explanation-4: -The completion of the Erie Canal spurred the first great westward movement of American settlers, gave access to the rich land and resources west of the Appalachians and made New York the preeminent commercial city in the United States.

Detailed explanation-5: -Renamed the New York State Barge Canal (later the New York State Canal System), it connected the main artery of the old Erie Canal with Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, and the Finger Lakes. This new waterway could handle steamships carrying 2, 000 metric tons of cargo.