USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Erie Canal’s success was part of a Canal-building boom in New York in the 1820s. Between 1823 and 1828, several lateral Canals opened including the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca.

Detailed explanation-2: -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.

Detailed explanation-3: -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.

Detailed explanation-4: -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.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Erie Canal opened on October 26, 1825, providing overland water transportation between the Hudson River on the east and Lake Erie at the western end. Popularly known as “Clinton’s Folly, ” the eight-year construction project was the vision of New York Governor DeWitt Clinton.