New York Canals

One of my fascinations with the early part of the 19th century regards the building of canals. They were the primary transportation until the railroads grew large enough to overtake the need or use of canals. Granted there are still canals in operation today but many have been abandoned. I had the opportunity to travel by boat into an abandoned canal in Georgia one time and my dad used to use a canal every summer with his dad bringing their sailboat from Springfield, Mass down the Connecticut River.

All of that is to say that I came across a report from the state of New York concerning Laws for the canals and Annual Reports. There's a wealth of information in this report about some of the needs and workmen for these canals. Below you will find a few random excerpts.

With regard to the Erie Canal
"But there is much to be done yet, upon the Seneca river level. In the marsh and swamps, the state of the waters was such, as not to admit of attempting to excavate them, till the latter part of May: and soon after the laborers had begun to work, a flood came over the whole line, which drove them off for three weeks. It was not, therefore, till after the middle of June, that much labor could be applied to this level. At that time, the work was re-commenced with spirit; and it was carried on, thenceforward, and increasing means, till near the first of August, when sickness began to manifest itself among the hands. For two months, when the waters were lowest, no efforts could keep up the necessary number of workmen. In this time, the number actually engaged, varied from two hundred to seven hundred; ail the principal contractors, with many of the sub-contractors and hands, became diseased; and as there was daily a considerable change of men, those who had acquired, from experience, the skill necessary to enable them to apply their labors judiciously, being obliged to give place to new hands, the progress of the work was much retarded."

"29 locks. Between Schenectady and Albany are twenty-nine locks, including two at the side cut opposite the city of Troy, most of which were completed during the last season, and it is confidently believed that some of them, for beauty of materials, elegance of workmanship, and symmetry of form, will compare with any locks in the world."

"Oct. 8,1824, On the 8th day of October, the first boats passed from the west and the north, through the junction canal, into the tide waters of the Hudson at Albany. And this day was celebrated in a manner which evinced the lively satisfaction of thousands of our citizens, at the triumph of art over the formidable impediments which nature had thrown in the road to prosperity. From the eighth of October, until the canal was closed by the ice, there was but one small breach, which did not obstruct the navigation but three days ; and during this period, from thirty to forty loaded boats were frequently seen to pass in the course of twenty-four hours."

Construction of the canals took lots of men, some were skilled, others were taught on the job. Stone cutters were hired. And some were hired to maintain the canals and locks after they were built. But most of the men moved on to another canal construction site. Citizens found the canals a boom to their economy. Eventually the canals became a place for social activities as well. People would literally stroll along the canal, while others were in boats, having a leisurely cruise down the canal. They were the heart of a community and brought in revenue, as well as a rapid connection with the sending of mail and goods back home.

Map of 1830 Canals

Below is a link to David Rumsey's web site of maps. It's probably the best site on the web for old maps. The software is great for zooming in on locations. The link below is to a particular map that will help you to see where canals had been built by 1830. Believe it or not, there were some already ceasing function for newer canals with straighter routes to ports or destinations.

1830 Map of Internal Transportation of the United States. Please note this map is for all of the canals in the U.S. at that time. It's a great map. imho

Note that the yellow lines are proposed canals. The red lines are current canals and the red lines with black track marks within it are railroad lines. Green are proposed railroads.

Personally, I love old maps, I have ever since I was a kid. I had quite a collection at one time. The older the better for me. But unfortunately I hit my teen years and didn't have much use for maps. Thankfully, David Rumsey has put his entire collection online and it doesn't take up room on my walls. Enjoy!

Ohio River Canals

Hi all,

I thought I'd pass on this interesting link of history regarding the Ohio River Canals. I've copied the opening paragraph from the web page to give you a taste of the author's page. Ohio's Historic Canals

Ohio's 1000-mile network of navigable canals, constructed between 1825 and 1847, provided a system of economical transportation where none had previously existed. The young state with its isolated frontier economy was transformed almost overnight. The canals opened many markets for its agriculture and industrial products, and attracted thousands of immigrants to the state. Today only a few of the deep excavations, the high earthen embankments and the massive structures of timber and cut stone are left to remind us of our debt to those who built Ohio's first transportation system.

NY Canals 1860

According to the History of Railroads & Canals ©1860, the state of NY reported this list of Canals.

NEW YORK STATE CANALS

Erie Canal. Opened in 1825
Champlain Canal. Completed in 1819
Black River Canal. (was a feeder canal to Erie)
Oneida Lake Canal. Completed in 1802
Oswego Canal. Opened in 1828
Seneca River Towing Path. completed in 1839

Baldwinsville Side-cut. purchased by the state in 1853
Cayuga And Seneca Canal. completed in 1839
Crooked Lake Canal. completed in 1833
Chemung Canal. completed in 1833
Chenango Canal. commencement of work 30th Sept. 1859
Genesee Valley Canal. completed in 1859

The Great Canals of the World

Transportation before the railroad depended upon Canals. Even today a great many canals are still in use. But back in the first half of the 19th century, building and transporting via canals was a major accomplishment.

In Houghtalings Handbook on page 55 you'll find this brief section on the canals.

The Great Canals of the World
The Imperial canal of China is over 1,000 miles long. In the year of 1861 was completed the greatest undertaking of the kind on the European continent, the canal of Languedoc, or the Canal du Midi, to connect the Atlantic with the Mediterranean; its length is 148 miles, it has more than 100 locks, and about 50 aqueducts, and its highest part is no less than 600 feet above the sea; it is navigable for vessels of upward of 100 tons. The largest ship canal in Europe is the great North Holland canal, completed in 1825--125 feet wide at the water surface, 31 feet wide at the bottom, and has a depth of 20 feet; it extends from Amsterdam to the Helder, 51 miles. The Caledonia canal, in Scotland, has a total length of 60 miles, including 3 lakes. The Suez canal is 88 miles long, of which 66 miles are actual canal. The Erie canal is 350 1/2 miles long; the Ohio canal, Cleveland to Portsmouth, 332; the Miami and Erie, Cincinnati to Toledo, 291; the Wabash and Erie. Evansvillle to the Ohio line, 374.