15 Things You Didn't Know About the Erie Canal
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TV PROGRAM GUIDE THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW There is a lot that goes on at Lock 17 Thomas Edison thought the Erie Canal near Little Falls. It is one of the highest lift would help his company, the Edison ABOUT THE ERIE CANAL locks in the world at 40.5 feet tall, which Machine Works, with its shipping needs. makes locking through in a boat quite an So in 1886, he relocated the company experience! Bordering the lock is Moss to Schenectady, a move that eventually 15 Island, which features some great cliffs resulted in the formation of the General popular with rock climbers. Electric Company in 1892. By Debbie Stack Editor’s Note: As WCNY’s production team worked on the upcoming Sr. Director, Education & documentary, Erie: The Canal that Made America, staff research and journeys Community Engagement uncovered places, artifacts, and information the crew knew little or nothing about. The choice of Buffalo as the western The Erie’s groundbreaking occurred terminus of the Erie Canal was not a sure in Rome on July 4, 1817. Eight years Visit wcny.org/eriecanal to preview the documentary, test your knowledge with thing. Buffalo and Black Rock were two later, New York Gov. DeWitt Clinton the 15 Questions on the Erie Canal Quiz, and explore behind-the-scenes photos. villages along Lake Erie that both wanted joined Ohio Governor Jeremiah Morrow the Erie Canal and made sure politicians to turn the first shovel of earth for the knew that. Buffalo, with its deeper harbor, construction of another canal, the Ohio was ultimately chosen and the village of & Erie Canal, on July 4, 1825. Black Rock is now a neighborhood in the largest Upstate New York city. Everyone knows the song about the The Erie Canal not only transported cargo Syracuse’s Erie Canal Museum is housed Erie, Low Bridge Everybody Down (or 15 and people, but also ideas including in the only remaining canal weighlock Miles...or 15 Years on the Erie Canal). You abolitionism, women’s rights, and new Inventors and entrepreneurs are inherent building. It was on the building’s second can see a copy of the sheet music written forms of spirituality and religion. As a to the story of the Erie Canal and the floor that much of the design work for the by Tom Allen at the Fayetteville Free young man, Brigham Young worked as a name Squire Whipple is part of the tale. In 20th century’s Barge Canal was done by Library. It’s part of its Vincent Motto Music laborer, digging wells, painting houses 1841, he designed and built a weighlock canal engineers. And another little-known collection. The song, dating to 1905, was and building some of the locks and scale with a capacity of 300 tons to weigh fact – the weighlock building was once never sung on the original Erie Canal! boats on the Erie Canal. Young went on canal boats; it was the largest scale in the subject of a question on “Jeopardy!” to become the second president of the the country at the time. He went on to Church of the Latter Day Saints. A pay stub greater fame as a designer of bridges, for Brigham Young can be found in the especially “iron truss bridges,” filing and In Canastota you’ll find the Boxing Hall of New York State Archives in Albany, part of earning patents for his work as someone When the Barge Canal opened in Fame, the Canal Town Museum, and the a large collection of documents from the who “practically created the modern 1918, the Rochester Aqueduct over the home and final resting place of famed earliest days of the Erie to the opening art of bridge construction.” One of his Genesee River was no longer needed. canal engineer Nathan Roberts. His circa of the Barge Canal. While in Albany, visit bridges was relocated to Union College It was repurposed though, as a place to 1820 federal style home on Route 5 is the New York State Museum’s new exhibit, in Schenectady. Another, the Aldrich house Rochester’s Subway from 1929 to occasionally open for tours. A tall, marble Enterprising Waters: New York’s Erie Towing–Path Change Bridge, is the oldest 1956. Today, the beautiful stonework of spire in the Lenox Rural Cemetery marks Canal, scheduled to open Sept. 16. iron bridge in New York State. Originally the aqueduct remains and on occasion his grave. Born in New Jersey, he became used in Rochester, the bridge now stands there are tours offered of the historic one of the most important engineers in Palmyra’s Aqueduct Park, located aqueduct and abandoned subway tunnel, on the Erie Canal. It was Roberts who adjacent to Lock 29 on today’s Erie Canal. now used as a canvas for graffiti artists. designed a five double-lock system to get The songs and the stories, the artifacts the canal over a 70-foot rock cliff en route and the attention around the Erie Canal to Lake Erie. You can see the locks in – tend to focus on men, mules, and money. where else – Lockport! Part of the folklore of the canal is that the The world has had a fascination with The Erie Canal has never been open most popular name for a canal boat cook, aqueducts, and at the Camillus Erie Canal year-round. Water levels were typically Sal, was the name of choice for those Park visitors can explore the 1844 Nine lowered to partially drain the canal in naming their mules. In the collections Mile Creek Aqueduct, the only restored the winter, with boats either heading for Culvert Road, near Medina, is the only of the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat navigable aqueduct in New York State. It home ports or for New York City, where place on the canal system where you can Museum are records that prove that dates to the first enlargement of the Erie 500-600 boats would tie up for the winter drive on a road under the canal! Rebuilt women were also captains of canal boats. Canal. The Park also offers boat cruises forming a floating village. during the Barge Canal construction The museum features the restoration of as well as interpretive information in its era, a sign at the spot says the original a three bay dry-dock where 90-foot-long museum, a recreation of a 19th century culvert was built in 1823 – and that the canal cargo boats were built and repaired canal-side store. phenomenon is recorded in “Ripley’s on the Erie Canal from 1855 to 1920. Of Nearly 80 percent of the population of Believe It or Not.” the 30 dry-docks that once served canal Upstate New York lives within 25 miles of boats, this is the only remaining one. the Erie Canal! - 16 - - 17 -.