A Great Depression – Good News For The New Erie Canal

erie canal weigh lock

Weighlocks like this one at Rochester were the toll boothes of the early Erie. Tolls were eliminated on the canal altogether in 1882 in response to growing competition from the railroads. New York State built and maintained the Erie Canal to promote growth in commerce within its borders, and it was determined to keep the waterway competitive even if it meant losing the income from tolls.