Erie Canal

The Erie Canal is a human-engineered waterway that connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean through the Hudson River in New York State. The original canal ran from Hudson River in Albany, New York, to Lake Erie in Buffalo, New York. It was built to provide a direct water route between the eastern states and the Midwest territories.

At the time of its completion, the canal was regarded as an engineering marvel because it cut through difficult terrain and was built by amateur engineers and laborers with improvised tools. After improvements to allow wider boats and more traffic in the mid-1800s, much of the canal route was replaced with a new canal system in the early 1900s.

The Erie...