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Canal Era (1825-1850)
Farmers in the western part of New York State needed to get their products to markets in cities in the east. During the early part of the 19th century, before the canals were built, farmers depended on dirt roads that were very rough and in poor condition. They drove slowly over them in carts and wagons pulled by horses, oxen, and mules. Moving products such as loads of grain would be much easier if they could be loaded aboard boats. Boats could also carry much bigger loads than wagons or carts, but many of the rivers in NY were very rapid. They could not be used for transporting products to market, since steam powered engines were not yet widely used. Also many rivers did not lead to the cities where the farmers wanted to go. In 1817, work started on a canal that would connect western New York with the cities in the eastern part of the state. It would join Buffalo, on Lake Erie to the city of Albany on the Hudson River. It would be known as the Erie Canal. Boats could then travel from the Erie Canal down the Hudson River all the way to New York City. Once it was finished, boats could carry goods from one end of the state to the other.
It was hard work digging the canal in the early 1800's. Steam powered digging machines were not yet in use, and men had to use picks and shovels to dig the canal. Sometimes the canal had to go through mountains and forests. Sometimes it crossed rivers and swamps. It took eight years to finish the 40 foot wide by 4 foot deep canal. It was completed in 1825. It was363 miles long! Other canals were dug branching off from the Erie joining villages and farms north and south to this great new waterway.
When the Erie Canal was finished freight could be moved on barges that were towed by horses or mules from a towpath, a path that ran along the side of the canal. The canal was very important to the farmers and helped trade in New York State to grow. Factories in the east could also ship their products west along the canal. It was much cheaper and faster to ship goods to market by barge than it had been by wagon. People also found the canal a much quicker and easier way to travel. Boats carrying passengers were called packet boats. Passengers could eat and sleep on board packet boats. The ride was smoother and trips across the state were much more enjoyable by boat than on bumpy wagons or coaches. The canal quickly became a favorite means of transportation in New York State.
Many new towns and villages sprang up along the canal. Not only did the canal help trade, it also helped New York State to grow. People could now moved westward more easily. Definitions
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