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Definition: Erie Canal from Philip's Encyclopedia

Waterway in New York state, between Buffalo and Albany, USA. It was built in 1817-25, and was originally 584km (363mi) long. A commercial success, it contributed to the rapid growth of the Midwest.

Erie Canal

From Encyclopedia of American Studies
The 363-mile (584-km) Erie Canal was the biggest public works project of the first half of the nineteenth century. Built between 1817 and 1825, and enlarged between 1837 and 1862, the canal connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River and, thence, to the Atlantic seaboard. It greatly accelerated the westward migration of European Americans and the displacement of Native Americans, spurred northeastern industrialization, and—as a result of technological innovation that overcame a combined ascent and descent of 680 feet (207 m)—symbolized American ingenuity and hard work. After the Revolution settlers increasingly clamored for inexpensive and easy access to the nation's interior. With its head 150 miles (241 km) east of Lake Erie, New York's Mohawk River provided the only northern gap in the Appalachian Mountains. Jesse Hawley, a flour merchant, outlined a plan in 1807 for a canal that paralleled the Mohawk and then extended to Lake Erie; New York established a commission to study the…
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Full text Article Erie Canal

From Brewer's Dictionary of Irish Phrase and Fable
A waterway, in the USA, that joins the Hudson River and Lake Erie. It was begun in 1817 and stretched for 581 km (363 miles) through the Mohawk Gap in the Appalachian Mountains. The finance came from New York state and was organized by De Witt Clinton (1769-1828), who served as governor for two…
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Full text Article Erie Canal

From The Oxford Encyclopedia of the History of American Science, Medicine, and Technology
Begun in 1817 and completed in 1825, the Erie Canal stretched 363 miles across New York from Albany to Buffalo, linking the Hudson River and Lake Erie through the Mohawk River gap in the Appalachian Mountains. Its length surpassed that of all other existing canals in Europe or the Americas. The…
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Full text Article Erie Canal

From Encyclopedia of American Studies
Erie Canal at Salina Street, Syracuse. c.1900....
The 363-mile (584-km) Erie Canal was the biggest public works project of the first half of the nineteenth century. Built between 1817 and 1825, and enlarged between 1837 and 1862, the canal connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River and, thence, to the Atlantic seaboard. It greatly accelerated…
| 784 words , 3 images

Full text Article Erie Canal

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
artificial waterway, c.360 mi (580 km) long; connecting New York City with the Great Lakes via the Hudson River. Locks were built to overcome the 571-ft (174-m) difference between the level of the river and that of Lake Erie. With its three branch canals it forms the New York State Canal System . …
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Full text Article Erie Canal

From Encyclopedia of American Business History
The first major inland waterway built in the United States. Canals became the first commonly used method of transporting goods in America, especially from areas that were located between two bodies of water. They quickly replaced the turnpikes that had been built decades before but proved expensive…
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Full text Article ERIE CANAL

From The Reader's Companion to American History
The Erie Canal, an engineering marvel of its time, was a product of New York's political scene and its prosperity. Gouverneur Morris first advocated a waterway to link the Hudson River and Lake Erie in 1800, and a surveyor laid out a route in 1809. In 1815, former New York City mayor DeWitt Clinton…
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Full text Article Erie Canal, Building of

From Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History
The Erie Canal spans some 364 miles and links the...
The Erie Canal was one of the largest and most controversial construction projects undertaken in the United States during the nineteenth century. It linked the navigable part of the Hudson River in eastern New York State with the Great Lakes, allowing Western farmers to ship their produce directly…
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Full text Article William Henry Bartlett: Erie Canal, Lockport Illustration

From Milestone Visual Documents in American History: The Images, Cartoons, and Other Visual Sources that Shaped America
Willian Henry Bartlett's illustration of the Erie...
Author/Creator William Henry Bartlett Date 1838 Image Type Illustrations Significance Documents a key element in the rapid development of U.S. transportation networks in the early nineteenth century Overview The appropriately named Lockport is a city in New York State located about twenty miles east…
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Full text Article Erie Canal

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Erie Canal, Lockport, N.Y. Credit:Leonard G
Historic waterway, northern U.S. It stretches from Buffalo , N.Y., on Lake Erie to Albany , N.Y., on the Hudson River . Commissioned by Gov. DeWitt Clinton of New York, it opened in 1825. It connected the Great Lakes with New York City and contributed greatly to the settlement of the Midwest, …
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Full text Article Erie Canal

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Canal in New York, USA, which connects Lake Erie north of Buffalo with the Hudson River at Albany and Troy; it passes through Utica, Syracuse, and Rochester. It is 45 m/148 ft broad and has an average depth of 3.6 m/12 ft. The canal was begun in 1817 and completed in 1825 at a cost of over $7…
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