The history of the Erie Canal and its link to Eastwood Family History
Cicero, NY
Area-1803
The Erie Canal (currently part of the New York State Canal System) is a canal in New York State that runs from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. Construction of the canal was first proposed in 1699, but it was not until 1798 that the Niagara Canal Company was incorporated and commenced its preparations for construction. The first section of the Erie Canal was completed in 1819, The Erie Canal was often called "Clintons Ditch" (a snide reference to NY Governors George & Dewitt Clinton) before it was finished being built. The entire canal was opened to much fanfare on October 26, 1825. It was 363 miles (584 km) long, 40 feet (12 m) wide, and 4 feet (1.2 m) deep. There were 83 locks along the canal, each 90 feet x 15 feet (27 m by 4.5 m). Maximum canal-boat displacement was 75 tons. The Erie Canal was the first transportation route faster than carts pulled by draft animals between the Eastern Seaboard of the United States and the western interior. Thus, it cut transport costs into what was then wilderness, by about 95%. The Canal resulted in a massive population surge in western New York State, and opened regions further west to increased settlement as well.
CANAL FACTS
The New York State Canal System is a navigable 524-mile inland waterway that
crosses upstate New York. It forms an extensive transportation network providing
intermodal linkages within and beyond the state's borders.
The Canal System includes four Canals: the Erie, Champlain, Oswego and
Cayuga-Seneca; canalized natural waterways, plus five lakes: Oneida, Onondaga,
Cross, Cayuga and Seneca; short Canal sections at Ithaca and Watkins Glen;
feeder reservoirs, canals and rivers not accessible by boat from the Canal; and
Canal terminals on Lake Champlain. The Canal System, which links the Hudson
River with Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes, the Niagara River and
Lake Erie, passes through 25 counties and close to 200 villages, hamlets and
towns.
Primary Canal System user groups are: transient boaters, local boaters/anglers,
tour boats/cruise boats, hire boat operators/users, and tourists via land.
It takes approximately five (5) days to cruise between Albany and Buffalo on the
Erie. (The Erie Canal begins at the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers
at Waterford, just north of Albany, and meets the Niagara River at
Tonawanda/North Tonawanda, just north of Buffalo.)
All Canal System lock dimensions are 328 feet long, 45 feet wide. The area
available for vessels within a lock is 300 feet long, 43.5 feet wide.
There are 57 locks and 16 lift bridges on the Canal System.
Canal System locks and lift bridges operate from early May to November. Locks
and lift bridges operate daily during peak navigation season (late May to early
October) from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Hours are reduced during other periods of
the navigation season.
The depths of the Erie Canal System's navigational channels:
-Waterford to Three Rivers Junction: 14 feet
-Three Rivers Junction to Tonawanda: 12 feet
-Oswego Canal: 14 feet
-Champlain Canal: 12 feet
-Cayuga-Seneca Canal: 12 feet
The Canal System is operated and maintained by the New York State Canal
Corporation, a subsidiary of the New York State Thruway Authority, a public
benefit corporation of New York State government.
The concept of a canal connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes had been a hot topic of discussion in the New York region of the American colonies since 1699. It was not until the early 1800's that New York Governor George Clinton was finally able to make it a viable reality, finished by his nephew, NY Gov. Dewitt Clinton. Asa Eastwood was a staunch supporter of Thomas Jefferson and his social and political views of agrarianism, limited government, and individual liberty, as was George Clinton (who served as Jefferson's Vice President from 1805 until his death in 1812). When Asa Eastwood returned to New York, a naval hero of Jefferson's Barbary War, it was only natural that he would be embraced by the newly elected Jeffersonian Republican Party at both the state and federal levels. As Eastwood established himself in New York business endeavors, he found himself the recipient of political appointments as well. Though his naval career was over, Eastwood never lost his love of the sea, but more importantly, his respect of the commercial potential of merchant businesses. In addition to his numerous merchant ventures, he purchased businesses (hotel, tavern, etc.) in the harbor area which provided services to the maritime industries. Though skeptics referred to construction of the Erie Canal as "Clinton's Folly", and the canal itself, was called "Clinton's Ditch", Eastwood recognized the commercial future it provided for the State of New York. When he learned of a choice 107 acre parcel of farmland on the southwest corner of Oneida Lake, adjacent to the Onondaga River in upstate New York, he contacted the lawyer for the estate of the deceased owner (Revolutionary War veteran who was granted the property) and purchased it, sight unseen, in 1817. He knew that the canalization of the river, and the completion of the Oswego Canal, would not only link his property to the Hudson River and all of New York, but also to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, providing access to Canada and the rapidly growing American West.
ABOUT THE CANAL SYSTEM
The New York State Canal System is not only rich in history, but also culture.
Many immigrants worked long and hard on "Clinton’s Ditch" to create this
magnificent waterway. Folklore, songs and speech lingo emerged from those
individuals working along the Canal. As the population grew and the Canal
prospered, it became not only a transportation waterway, but also a vacation
area for the well-to-do.
At one time, more than 50,000 people depended on the Erie Canal for their
livelihood. From its inception, the Erie Canal helped form a whole new culture
revolving around canal life. For many, canal boats became floating houses,
traveling from town to town. The father would serve as captain, while the mother
cooked for the family and crew. The family's children, if old enough, would serve as
"hoggees"
and would walk alongside the mules to lead them along at a steady pace.
For those who traveled along the Canal in packet boats or passenger vessels, the
Canal was an exciting place. Gambling and entertainment were frequent pastimes
on the Canal and often, families would meet each year at the same locations to
share stories and adventures.
New York
State Canal System-1903
The Erie Canal
made boom towns out of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Rome, Utica and Schenectady
and made an immense contribution to the wealth and importance of New York City
and all of New York State. But its impact went much further—it increased trade
throughout the nation by opening eastern markets to Midwest farm products and
also encouraged western immigration. New ethnic Irish communities formed in some
towns along its route after completion, as Irish immigrants were a large portion
of labor force involved in its construction. It also helped bind the still-new
United States closer to both Britain and Europe. British repeal of the "Corn
Law" resulted in a huge increase in trade in Midwestern wheat to Britain. Trade
between the US and Canada also increased as a result of the "Corn Law" repeal. A
reciprocity (free-trade) agreement between the nations was signed in 1854, and a
majority of this new growth in trade flowed along the Erie Canal.
The New York State Canal System
(from "Unlock the Legend of The New York
State Canal System"
Published by
The New York State Canal Commission)
Today, the Canal has returned to its former glory and is filled with pleasure boats, fishermen and cyclists riding the former towpaths where mules once trod. The excitement of the past is alive and well.
Map from The Northern Traveller [sic] and Northern Tour,
New ed. published by
J. & J. Harper, 1831
