Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Erie Canal

We are in Walworth, NY with friends Sharron & Judy, fellow winter campers at Jekyll. There is access to a large amount of history in this area.  We have visited the home of Susan B Anthony, The Women's Rights National Historic Park, The Women's Hall of Fame & will be traveling to Niagura Falls (the Canadian side) on Friday.

Tonight we took a walk along the Erie Canal.  A little history....At the beginning of the 19th century, New Yorkers, led by Gov. De Witt Clinton, had the vision and conviction to build the Erie Canal, a 363 mile long waterway connecting the Hudson River at Albany with Lake Erie at Buffalo.  Opened in 1825, the Erie Canal provided the first all-water link between the Atlantic seaboard and the Great Lakes.  It quickly became the most successful and influential canal in North America.  Although its success sparked a canal building boom throughout the eastern US & Canada, the Erie remained preeminent.  It made New York the Empire State and confirmed New York City's status as the young nation's most prosperous and vibrant seaport.

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