Erie Canal

Gov. William C. Bouck and the Erie Canal: A Friend of Labor

December 10, 2023 by David Brooks Leave a Comment

William Christian Bouck was born on the cusp of a new year, January 7th, 1786, but also at the cusp of a new nation emerging on the world stage. Until his death in April of 1859, Bouck was the quintessential “salt of the earth” farmer turned politician and bureaucrat – a man of the new republic.

Born in Fultonham, Schoharie County on lands settled by his Palatine German great-grandfather, Bouck emerged early in life to be devoted to labor. First, manual labor on his father’s family farm, toiling sunrise to sunset or beyond. This limited his education to that of only the local common school, but it’d be noted later in his career that his education was that of experience and observation. [Read more…] about Gov. William C. Bouck and the Erie Canal: A Friend of Labor

New Erie Canal Educational Resources Available

November 24, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the New York State Canal Corporation have announced the release of new educational materials geared for fourth graders learning about the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal Adventure: Unlocking the Waterway Wonders includes a 40-minute video and two lesson plans.

The materials are available for free online at the Erie Canal Learning Hub. [Read more…] about New Erie Canal Educational Resources Available

The Canal Era in the Finger Lakes

October 1, 2023 by Guest Contributor 3 Comments

As the population of interior New York increased, developers pushed for a faster method of transportation between the area and developed population centers like the city of New York.

The Erie Canal, completed in 1825, revolutionized inland travel and ushered in a broader era of canal construction across the state, connecting the state capital of Albany on the Hudson River to Western New York and the Great Lakes. [Read more…] about The Canal Era in the Finger Lakes

Lock Tenders Tribute Monument Dedicated

September 29, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The final six sculptures in the Lock Tenders Tribute Monument in Lockport, Niagara County, NY were installed and a formal dedication took place in September.

Lewiston sculptor Susan Geissler created the cast bronze figures to recreate an original photograph taken on the same steps in 1897 by Frank Bernard Clench (F.B. Clench). [Read more…] about Lock Tenders Tribute Monument Dedicated

1889 Tows on the Hudson River: Great Fleets of Freight Boats

September 13, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

This article, “Tows on the Hudson. The Great Fleets of Freight Boats That Come Down the River,” first appeared in the August 18, 1889 edition of The New York Times. It was transcribed by Hudson River Maritime Museum volunteer Carl Mayer and annotated by John Warren.

Very few persons who journey up and down the Hudson River either upon the palatial steamers or upon the railway trains that run along both banks of this great waterway know how great an amount of wealth is daily floated to this [New York] city on the canal boats and barges that compose the immense tows that daily leave West Troy [now Watervliet], Lansingburg, Albany, Kingston, and other points along the river bound for this city. [Read more…] about 1889 Tows on the Hudson River: Great Fleets of Freight Boats

New Hand Launch Installed at Old Erie Canal State Park

August 12, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Town of Manlius, east of Syracuse in Onondaga County, recently installed an ADA accessible kayak dock at Poolsbrook Park in Kirkville. The launch is located within the Old Erie Canal State Historic Park, making it much easier for paddlers to explore the remains of the Enlarged Erie Canal. [Read more…] about New Hand Launch Installed at Old Erie Canal State Park

Public Comments Sought On Albany I-787 Reimaging Project

June 23, 2023 by Editorial Staff 3 Comments

New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) is hosting a public open house related to the new planning and environmental study of I-787 on Tuesday, June 27, from 4:30 to 7:30 pm in the media room of MVP Arena in downtown Albany.

The study to re-imagine the I-787 corridor, taking into account its proximity to the Hudson River, is at the center of local efforts to re-imagine the former Albany Basin by the Albany Waterway Canal Project. [Read more…] about Public Comments Sought On Albany I-787 Reimaging Project

A Tornado in Schenectady, 1847

June 18, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

TORNADO AT SCHENECTADY. On Saturday last [August 28, 1847], about four o’clock in the afternoon, Schenectady was visited by a phenomenon unusual in these high latitudes. Gentlemen who witnessed its inception, relate that a heavy storm seemed gathering over the high grounds which bound the city on the East, when suddenly large clouds were seen to rush towards each other from opposite directions with amazing velocity. [Read more…] about A Tornado in Schenectady, 1847

The History and Development of Utica Harbor

April 20, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Utica Harbor is a unique feature of the NYS Canal System and was purposely nestled close to Utica’s major textile industries adjacent to the Erie Canal. The Utica Harbor is the only harbor on the Barge Canal with its own lock. It also possesses one of the largest branches leading from the main channel passing through the Mohawk River to its end, only a quarter mile from Utica’s downtown district. [Read more…] about The History and Development of Utica Harbor

New York State Canals Bicentennial: Some History & Plans For Celebrations

March 23, 2023 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

The Champlain Canal turns 200 this year and the Erie Canal will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2025.

The Champlain Canal between the Hudson River and Lake Champlain at Whitehall was the first to open. Worked started on the Champlain Canal in October, 1816. The first boats operated in November, 1819, and was fully completed in 1823, two years before the Erie Canal was finished. [Read more…] about New York State Canals Bicentennial: Some History & Plans For Celebrations