19TH CENTURY U.S. CANALS

New York

 

 

Index

Erie Canal-4

Erie Canal - 3

 

Landmarks of Wayne County, New York – 1895
Reference to the canal is on page 65.

 

Letter: James Madison to Richard Riker and Others, 31 May 1826
Includes reference to the canal.


Letter: To James Madison from the New York State Canal Commissioners, 8 October 1811
Includes reference to the canal.

 

Little Falls Aqueduct

An 1822 newspaper article about the opening of the aqueduct.


Little Falls Aqueduct

A brief history of the aqueduct.   Current photos.


Little Falls, from Lovers Leap
A historical photo of the canal.

 

"Little Short Of Madness"
A brief history of the canal. Links to related sites.
 

Lockport – 2003
Historical photos begin on page 77.

 

Locktender’s House Historical Marker
Photo and text of a marker located in Onondaga County.

 

Lockport: Historic Jewel of the Erie Canal – 2005
Exercpts from the book, with numerous references to the canal.

 

Low Bridge!: Folklore and the Erie Canal
Excerpt of a history of the canal, and folklore associated with it.

 

Lyons Aqueduct
A brief description of the aqueduct.   Historical and current photos.

 

Marco Paul's Travels on the Erie Canal
One of a series of stories, published in 1852, describing travel on the canal from the perspective of a young boy.
 

Medina Culvert
Brief history and current photo of the only road culvert built under the canal.
 

Memorial and Family History of Erie County, New York – 1908
A brief history of the canal begins on page 20.

 

Memorial History of Utica, N.Y. – 1892
References to the canal are on pages 62, 142, 169, 189 amd 375.

 

Memorial History of Syracuse, N.Y. – 1891
References to the canal are on pages 40 amd 405.

 

Montgomery County – 2004
Historical photos are on pages 7, 30, 60, 61, 86, 88 and 117.

 

Mouth of Erie Canal, Buffalo, N. Y. photo – 1892
A historical photo of the canal.

 

Moving The Freight
A brief article about the dramatic collapse in the prices of transportation in the first half of the nineteenth century, begun by the Erie Canal, and the fundamental transformation it made to the U.S. economy.
 

New York: A Guide to the Empire State
A brief history of the canal begins on page 9 and continues on page 68 and 77.

 

New-York Canal Lands on Sale
An 1823 broadside, advertising land along the canal.
 

New York History
A brief history begins on page 21.

 

New York Heritage Digital Collections
A collection of historical photos.

 

New York Public Library Digital Collection
Includes maps, historical photos and illustrations.

 

New York State Archives: Digital Collections
An extensive collection of historical photos.

 

New York State Historical Newspapers
A set of articles making reference to the canal.

 

Niagara Discoveries: The Erie Canal's western end
A history of the different routes considered for the western end of the canal.

 

Night Life on a Canal Packet Boat
The article begins on page 8 of the American Canal Society newsletter.

 

Oct. 8, 1823: New York Gets That Erie Feeling
A brief history of the canal. Current photo.
 

Ode for the Canal Celebration
A Ode, celebrating the completion of the canal.
 

On a Trolley Boat
An 1893 newspaper article about the experimental trial of an electric trolley system to power boats on the canal.

 

On the Erie Canal in 1916
An article begins on page 7 of the American Canal Society newsletter.

 

Onondaga, or, Reminiscences of earlier and later times – 1849
Reference to the canal is on page 45.

 

Onondaga's Centennial: Gleanings of a Century · Volume 2
References to the canal are on pages 943, 952, 971 and 992.

 

Opening of Erie Canal Connects East and West

A brief history of the canal.   Historical illustrations.


Origin of the Erie Canal: Services of Benjamin Wright – 1870
A history of the origins of the canal.

 

Orleans County, New York postcards
Includes historical photos of the canal in Albion.

 

Our country and its people; a descriptive and biographical record of Madison County, New York – 1899
References to the canal are on pages 159 and 173.

 

Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York – 1896
Reference to the canal is on page 220.

 

Participation of the Buffalo Historical Society in the Erie Canal Centenary
Link to a 1917 book.
 

Perinton, Fairport, and the Erie Canal
Excerpts of histories of the communities.   A map of the canal east of Rochester is on page 10.  Includes historical photos on pages 8,  and 11 - 18.

 

Pioneer history of Orleans County, New York – 1871
Reference to the canal is on page 55.

 

Pioneer History of the Holland Purchase of Western New York - 1849
References to the canal are on pages 614 and 648.

 

Polster Photographs of Lockport, NY
A search by "Erie Canal" yields a collection of historical photos.

 

Railway Locomotives and Cars, Volumes 10-12 – 1840
Tonnage handled on the canal in 1839 is on page 252.

 

Report in Relation to Enlargement of the Erie Canal at Port Byron – 1857
An engineering report on the status of the project.

 

Resources on the Erie Canal
Links to several Erie canal web sites, with a focus on central portion of the canal from Palmyra (Lock 29) to Lockport (Locks 34 and 35), and particularly on the area in the vicinity of the City of Rochester.
 

Rochester: A Story Historical – 1884
References to the canal are on pages 107, 295, 325 and 343.

 

Rochester and its Early Canal Days
Link to a 1914 book.
 

Rochester and the Erie Canal
A history of the canal and its impact on the community.

 

Rotterdam - 2004
Excerpts from the book include several historical photos.

 

Schenectady – 2007
Historical photos are on pages 61 and 83.

 

Schenectady Was One Bright Spot on Erie Canal
A 1922 newspaper article about canal life in the city in the mid-19th century.

 

Schoharie Creek Aqueduct
A brief history and description of the aqueduct.

 

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site 

Includes a brief history of the canal.   Current photos.


Scholar in the Wilderness – 1963
Includes a brief history of the canal.

 

Settlement in the West: Sketches of Rochester – 1838
References to the canal are on pages 31, 33, 175-239.

 

Sketches of Early Buffalo and the Niagara Region
Link to a history of the region, including reference to the canal.
 

Souvenir of Syracuse – 1905
 Includes an historical photo of the canal.

 

Stairway to Empire: Lockport, The Erie Canal, and The Shaping of America
An excerpt of the history of the canal, with a focus on Lockport.

 

Sugar & Spice: Stories on the Erie Canal
A brief article about canal stores. Historical and current photos.
 

Syracuse – 1997
Historical photos are on pages 12, 104 and 105.

 

Table of the New Rates of Toll on the Erie Canal  [c. 1846]
A rate schedule.
 

Thank the Erie Canal for Spreading People, Ideas and Germs Across America

A brief history of the canal.   Historical photos.


The 1859 Erie Canal Bridge Collapse at Albion
Newspaper accounts of a tragic accident along the canal.
 

The Aqueduct at Little Falls

A brief history of the aqueduct.   Historical illustrations and historical and current photos.


The Artificial River: The Erie Canal and the Paradox of Progress, 1817-1862
Excerpt of a history of the canal.

 

The Building of the Erie Canal
A brief history of the canal.
 

The Building of the Erie Canal
A brief history of the canal.
 

The Building of the Erie Canal
A brief history of the canal.   Current photo.

 

The Building of the Erie Canal
A brief history of the canal. Links to related sites.
 

“The Canal” newspaper article – 1820

 

The Cost of Transportation on the Erie Canal and by Rail
Link to a 1911 book.
 

The Ditch That Salt Built
An article begins on page 9 of the American Canal Society newsletter.

 

The Economic History of the Erie Canal
 

To Erie Canal-4

Rev. June, 2025