New York Canals
One of the largest of the original thirteen colonies and highly mountainous, New York had the advantage of the Hudson River for transportation, but it was frustratingly close to other large bodies of water, including the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Several mountain ranges, including the Adirondacks, the Catskills, the Ramapos, and the Berkshires, made overland travel difficult. In addition, many of New York's other rivers, such as the Mohawk, became to shallow to navigate past a certain point.
What the state needed was canals. These man-made rivers, dug with nothing more than picks, shovels, and manpower, navigated the mountain ranges with locks and allowed for easy and increased transportation across the state.
The main traffic on canals was barges, but sometimes included canal schooners, which were essentially two-masted sailing barges. Barges were floating cargo holds and for much of canal history were pulled by mules walking along the towpath. Their shallow draft and hollow hull made barges easy to pull, even when fully loaded.
Families lived on these barges, loading and unloading cargo, caring for and leading the mules, and steering the barges around curves and through locks.
Barge families remained in existence on the smaller canals until the 1950s, though the rise of propeller-powered steam tugboats in the 1870s took over as the main mode of transported barges on the larger canals. Many canals were later widened to accommodate both these tugs as well as larger barges.
Although the Delaware & Hudson Canal and some feeder canals later fell into disuse, the Champlain, Chambly, Erie, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca canals are all still in operation.
Several mountain ranges, including the Adirondacks, the Catskills, the Ramapos, and the Berkshires, made overland travel difficult. In addition, many of New York's other rivers, such as the Mohawk, became to shallow to navigate past a certain point.
What the state needed was canals. These man-made rivers, dug with nothing more than picks, shovels, and manpower, navigated the mountain ranges with locks and allowed for easy and increased transportation across the state.
The main traffic on canals was barges, but sometimes included canal schooners, which were essentially two-masted sailing barges. Barges were floating cargo holds and for much of canal history were pulled by mules walking along the towpath. Their shallow draft and hollow hull made barges easy to pull, even when fully loaded.
Families lived on these barges, loading and unloading cargo, caring for and leading the mules, and steering the barges around curves and through locks.
Barge families remained in existence on the smaller canals until the 1950s, though the rise of propeller-powered steam tugboats in the 1870s took over as the main mode of transported barges on the larger canals. Many canals were later widened to accommodate both these tugs as well as larger barges.
Although the Delaware & Hudson Canal and some feeder canals later fell into disuse, the Champlain, Chambly, Erie, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca canals are all still in operation.
A Connected View of the Whole Internal Navigation of the United States by George Armroyd (1830)
The Traveler's Guide Through the Middle and Northern States and Provinces of Canada by Gideon Miner Davison (1834)
Mentions the D&H Canal and details the Erie and Champlain canals. Hyperlinked table of contents for easier reading.
Mitchell's Compendium of the Internal Improvements of the United States by Mitchell & Hinman (1835)
History of the Canal System of the State of New York by Noble E. Whitford (1906)
The Story of the New York State Canals by Frank M. Williams (1916)
The Champlain Canal
Begun in 1812 and completed in 1823, the Champlain Canal was begun at the same time as the Erie Canal - an effort to expand the transport of trade goods from the Champlain Valley. Connecting the southern tip of Lake Champlain to the Hudson River, the Canadian Chambly Canal was completed in 1843 at the north end of the lake to connect to the St. Lawrence Seaway. That connection ensured even heavier transportation traffic as both Canadian and ocean-going goods could now be brought into interior New York.
The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has digitized the diaries of barge captain Theodore Bartley, who traveled on the Champlain Canal and the Hudson River in the 1860s. The five parts of his journal are available for free as downloadable PDFs.
The public domain books below are marked and organized by date so the texts can be put in historical context.
The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has digitized the diaries of barge captain Theodore Bartley, who traveled on the Champlain Canal and the Hudson River in the 1860s. The five parts of his journal are available for free as downloadable PDFs.
The public domain books below are marked and organized by date so the texts can be put in historical context.
Annual Report of the Commissioners of the State of New York on the Canals: From Lake Erie to the Hudson, and From Lake Champlain to the Same (1818)
Guide to Lake George, Lake Champlain, Montreal, and Quebec by Z. Thompson (1845)
The Erie Canal
Although they were begun at the same time, the Erie Canal became far more famous than the Champlain Canal. Connecting Lake Erie (at Buffalo) to the Hudson River (at Albany), the canal followed the Mohawk River. Completed in 1825, it was at the time the longest canal in the world and was completed in an extremely short time.
The public domain books below are marked and organized by date so the texts can be put in historical context.
The public domain books below are marked and organized by date so the texts can be put in historical context.
Albany Basin and Erie Canal: In which some important improvements are suggested... (1836)
Marco Paul's Travels and Adventures in the Pursuit of Knowledge: Erie Canal by Jacob Abbot (1845)
This fictionalized account of Marco Paul's journey down the Erie Canal was written for young readers.
Five Years on the Erie Canal: An Account of Some of the Most Striking Scenes and Incidents by Dea. M. Eaton (1845)
Commerce of the Lakes and Erie Canal by James L. Barton (1851)
Origin of the Erie Canal by Benjamin H. Wright (1870)
The Delaware & Hudson Canal
The only canal in New York totally funded by commercial enterprises, the Delaware & Hudson Canal (also known as the D&H Canal), connected the Delaware River in Pennsylvania to Rondout Creek in Kingston, NY (and then the Hudson). It was specifically built to transport anthracite coal from Honesdale, PA to New York City.
Completed in 1828, the D&H Canal was abandoned in 1898, as railroad transport became more cost-effective for transporting coal.
Completed in 1828, the D&H Canal was abandoned in 1898, as railroad transport became more cost-effective for transporting coal.
Report of the Canal Commissioners by the Pennsylvania Board of Canal Commissioners (1837)
This report mentions the D&H Canal.
The Oswego Canal
Begun in 1825, the Oswego Canal was completed in 1828 and opened in 1829. It follows the length of the Oswego River, connecting the Erie Canal to Lake Ontario, further opening up trade between New York and Canada.
The Cayuga-Seneca Canal
Built in stages, the Cayuga-Seneca Canal at first only connected Seneca Lake to Cayuga Lake. That canal opened in 1821. Local interest led to connecting Cayuga Lake to the Erie Canal and in 1825 work was begun on the expansion. The newly completed canal was opened in 1828.