Erie Canal Lift Bridges

erie canal lift bridge

This Swing Bridge at Albion, NY is just one of many that had to be replaced for the 1905-1918 NYS Barge Canal enlargement. The masonry buildings you see on the other side are typical of those that crowded close to the canal at villages like this. The modern canal was to be wider, with much … Read more

Erie Canal Bankwatch – Searching For Leaks Since 1825

Muskrats were notorious for digging their homes into the banks of the Original Erie Canal, but the banks of the modern Barge Canal are so large that animal activity isn’t the threat it used to be.   Leaks were common in especially the original canal, and “hurry-up” boats like this were expected to get to … Read more

Erie Canal Syracuse – Salt City

erie canal syracuse salt sheds

The Erie Canal at Syracuse – Salt sheds at Syracuse, NY in about 1900. Before modern refrigeration, salt was an essential commodity used to preserve food. It’s no accident that the original Erie Canal was routed south from Rome to Syracuse where salt was harvested on evaporating tables like these. Notice the slanting roofs that … Read more

The Key Players – A Canal Built by Non-professionals

Thomas Jefferson The great visionary president Thomas Jefferson was NOT a supporter of New York’s plan to build the Erie Canal!  Remember that he’d watched his friend and fellow-Virginian George Washington fail in his attempt to canalize the Potomac River.  When he heard about the project in 1809 he said: “Making a canal 350 miles … Read more