Take a Canal tour/cruise on the Erie Canal and enjoy the history and beauty on New York State.   Try the day tour at Skaneateles Lake, or stay at the Twenty Woodlawn Bed and Breakfast in the quaint historic village of Fairport, NY.  Other cites/towns that have lodging and events around the Erie Canal are Lockport, Albany, Brockport, Utica, Rochester,Utica, Stanfordville, and Syracuse.  History and nature buffs would love this adventure, as well as, those who just plain want to relax. 

When a canal across New York State was first proposed by Jesse Hawley, a miller in the town of Geneva, President Thomas Jefferson thought it was “little short of madness”. Dewitt Clinton then mayor of New York City supported the idea. Clinton’s opponents called the proposal “Clinton’s Folly”. In 1817, Clinton became governor of New York State, funds for a canal from the Hudson River to the Great Lakes were quickly approved workers broke ground in Rome and started west. This spot was chosen because no locks or aqueducts that would slow progress were needed for approximately 80 miles. This helped quiet Clinton’s detractors. The Erie Canal (”Clinton’s Big Ditch”) opened on October 26, 1825, and was hailed as the greatest engineering marvel in the world. 363 miles long, forty feet wide, four feet deep, 18 aqueducts and 83 locks, the canal shortened travel time form the east coast to the gateway to the west (the Great Lakes) by half and reduced shipping costs by 90%. The Erie opened the only trade route west of the Appalachians, prompted the first great westward migration of American settlers, turned Rochester into the nation’s first boom town and made New York City the busiest port in the United States.

The Erie Canal was enlarged three times, 1862, 1895 and 1918. The canal today is 363 miles long, has 57 locks and the total rise from the Hudson River to Lake Erie is 568 feet.

Shortly after the opening of the Erie canal, branches to the canal were built to connect other important water routes. This ensured towns along previously used waterways were not abandoned. Today, the New York State Canal System extends over 524 miles and connects with hundreds of lakes and rivers. 

Lodging       Canal Tours and Cruises

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 at 8:01 pm and is filed under Blogroll, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.