1) The document provides a history of the Erie Canal, from its origins in 1807 to its modernization in the early 20th century. 2) It describes the key people involved in proposing and building the canal, such as Jesse Hawley, Joshua Forman, DeWitt Clinton, and the engineers Benjamin Wright and James Geddes. 3) The canal opened in 1825 and symbolically united the Atlantic Ocean and Great Lakes, sparking development across New York and the Midwest by providing a cheap transportation route.

1. Prepared by Harry Schooley
October 2016

2. William Wall, The Erie Canal, 1862 (Arkell Museum, Canajoharie)
But first, some history!

3. The Erie Canal …
… Clinton’s Folly!
… Clinton’s Ditch!
… the Way West!
… Mother of Cities!
… Builder of Empire!

4. 1807
The idea of a cross-state canal first came in 1807 from one
Jesse Hawley (1782-1842), a flour merchant from Geneva,
NY. Bankrupted by the lack of adequate transportation,
Hawley was in debtors prison when he wrote a series of
articles describing a prospective canal connecting the
Hudson River with the Great Lakes.
In recognition of Hawley’s contribution to the Canal’s
origin and development, Governor Clinton gave him the
honor of making the first congratulatory speech at the
celebration for the opening of the Canal in Buffalo on
October 26, 1825. Hawley then accompanied the governor
aboard the canal boat, Seneca Chief, to New York City.

5. 1808
In 1808 Joshua Forman (1777- 1848) of Syracuse
introduced a resolution in the NY State Legislature
calling for creation of a committee to investigate the
feasibility of building a canal. A banker, Forman saw
the canal as essential, not only for the growth of New
York but of the country as well.
It was Forman who proposed the canal to President
Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson described the idea of a
canal as a “little short of madness,” noting that such a
“very fine project might be executed a century hence.”

6. Build a canal? Across
New York? Impossible!

7. 1816
New York Mayor DeWitt Clinton urged the New York
State Legislature to pursue creation of a canal, which,
once undertaken, would be an accomplishment
“more stupendous, more magnificent, and more
beneficial than has hitherto been achieved by the
human race.”
1817
Now NY Governor, Clinton secured state funding for
building that canal. Construction began on July 4 at
Rome, NY. Governor Clinton turned the first shovel.

8. Can’t be done. We can do it!

9. 1) Why a canal across New York and not other states?
2) Why not a canal connecting the Mohawk River
with Lake Ontario at Oswego?
Two Questions!
Oswego

10. Why a canal across New York
and not other states?
The major rivers in the
eastern US run from north to
south.
The way west is blocked by
the Appalachian Mountain
chain.

11. Why a canal across New York and not other states?
Why not a canal connecting the Mohawk with Lake Ontario at Oswego?
Here’s why!

12. This gap is called “The Noses.”

13. The Mohawk River runs
through the mountains
from West to East!
New York City
Buffalo

14. 1) Why a canal across New York and not other states?
Most of the eastern rivers flow to the Atlantic in a
north-south direction. The Mohawk, however,
passes west-east through the Appalachians.
2) Why not a canal connecting the Mohawk with Lake Ontario at Oswego?
Such a canal would benefit Canada and not facilitate movement of
settlers and commerce to the US’ western territories.
Oswego

15. But, couldn’t a canal to
Oswego enable shipping to
or from the Western US
states? All a boat has to do
is come up the Niagara River
and … uh oh … There is a
problem – what?
Oswego
Rome
Niagara River

17. “A profile of the extent of the Levels of the Places and Lift of the Locks between Lake Erie and the Hudson”
“Contracted by direction of the Canal Commissioners From the Maps of the Engineers in 1817”
“MAP and PROFILE of the Proposed Canal from Lake Erie to Hudson River”

20. It appears that two routes
– a northern and a
southern – were
proposed for the stretch
between Buffalo and the
Genesee River at
Rochester. The Southern
across the “Great
Tonnewanta Swamp”
would require nine locks
on the western end and
15 on the eastern.
The northern route – the
one actually excavated –
required only five (the
“Flight Locks” constructed
at Lockport.)

21. Joseph Ellicott
1760 - 1826
In 1817 Joseph Ellicott was appointed as the
Erie Canal’s first Commissioner, the same year
canal construction began. As Commissioner,
his responsibility was to oversee the project.
He resigned in 1818 as his health was
deteriorating. He did not live to see the
canal’s inauguration.
Ellicott is best known as the surveyor who
created the street design for Buffalo.

22. The Canal’s Engineers
The engineers involved in the project had no experience in building canals.
Of the three shown here, Wright and Geddes were judges with some
surveying experience. Roberts was a math teacher.
As author Bill Bryson wrote in At Home (2010), they learned how to build a
canal by building a canal.
Benjamin Wright
( 1770 -1842) Chief Engineer
James Geddes
(1762-1838)
Nathan Roberts (1776-1851)
Roberts would design the Flight Locks
at Lockport.

23. 1817-1825 Building of the Erie Canal
The laborers were mostly newly arrived immigrants from Ireland, and most
of the work would be done with picks and shovels. Steam machinery was
not yet available, so workers used techniques which had been used for
hundreds of years. Among the labor-saving innovations were the tree feller
and stump puller and an improved wheelbarrow.
Laborers were paid 80 cents a day with whiskey rations.
An engineer named Canvass White created a new formula for hydraulic
cement that would dry quickly while under water. Cement was necessary
to seal the canal locks to prevent seepage and collapse. Without White’s
cement, the canal could not have been built.
Excavation proceeded westward from Rome through Canastota,
Chittenango, Syracuse, Weedsport, Lyons, Palmyra, Fairport, Rochester,
Spencerport, and Medina, to Lockport. The most difficult period of canal
construction was blasting and excavating the seven-mile long “Deep Cut”
through the Niagara Escarpment between Pendleton and Lockport. It took
two years to dig.
stump puller
Canvass White
(1790-1834)

24. Excavating the seven-mile long Deep Cut.

25. My photograph of the Deep Cut, October 1987.

26. The flight locks, 1825 and today
Nathan Roberts

29. Stock certificates and
bonds were issued by the
state to finance the canal.
Stock and bold holders
were promised that they
would be paid back by tolls
collected on the canal.
Albany, March 16, 1824, Erie Canal
Papers, Albany Institute of History &
Art Library, EJ656_28_198
Certificate # 13 for ten
shares of stock in the
Erie Canal Transportation
Company, 1824

30. 1825
The “Wedding(s) of the Waters”
October 26: The ceremony to mark the completion of the Canal took place in Buffalo.
Governor DeWitt Clinton presided and Jesse Hawley made the opening speech. Two barrels of
water from Lake Erie would accompany the Governor and other dignitaries on the cruise
aboard the canal packet Seneca Chief to New York. The ceremony was highlighted by the firing
of the first shot of the “cannon telegraph” whereby news of the opening was relayed by
cannons across the state to New York and back. (It took two hours.)
November 4: Governor Clinton, having traveled on the Canal and Hudson River from Buffalo to
New York, poured a barrel of Lake Erie water into New York Harbor.
On November 23, the Seneca Chief returned to Buffalo bearing a keg of Atlantic water which
was poured into Lake Erie by Judge Samuel Wilkeson.

31. Governor DeWitt Clinton, aboard the Seneca Chief opens the Erie Canal, October 26, 1825.

32. October 26 – November 4: Governor DeWitt Clinton’s journey
from Buffalo to New York aboard the Seneca Chief.

33. November 4, 1826: Governor Clinton, having traveled on the Canal and Hudson River from
Buffalo to New York, poured a barrel of Lake Erie water into New York Harbor, symbolically
uniting the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes.
The Wedding of the Waters.

34. The honor of pouring the barrel of Atlantic water into
Lake Erie, hence completing the wedding of the waters,
fell to Samuel Wilkeson.
Wilkeson (1781-1848) originally came to Buffalo with
the army during the War of 1812. He became Buffalo’s
first Justice of the Peace in 1815. In 1821 he was
appointed judge of the Court of Common Pleas.
Recognizing the importance of Buffalo’s location on
Lake Erie, he actively promoted harbor development,
especially the dredging of the sand bar at the mouth of
the Buffalo River and the building of a new pier.
As a member of the New York State Assembly (1822)
and Senate (1824) Wilkeson successfully persuaded the
State legislature to make Buffalo the western terminus
of the Erie Canal, then still under construction. He
would later become Mayor of Buffalo.

35. Canalside
Then and Now!
(What’s Mr. Wilkeson
smiling at?)

36. That’s what!

37. The original canal was 40 feet wide at the surface and 28 feet at bottom with a depth of four feet.
Lake Erie is 571 feet higher than the level of the Hudson River.
83 locks were built to overcome that difference, 27 of them in the first 15 miles between Albany
and Schenectady around the Cohoes Falls.
The locks were 90 feet long and 15 feet wide.
18 aqueducts carried the canal across creeks and rivers.
The canal was capable of moving boats with a 30-ton cargo capacity.
The canal cost about $7 million, but collecting tolls meant it paid for itself within two decades.
(From the Website The Erie Canal http://www.eriecanal.org/index.html)

38. Between Albany and Rome the canal rose 425 feet above sea level.
Canal Profile East, 1832

39. Canal Profile West
1832
Between Syracuse and Buffalo the canal rose another 140 feet to 565 feet above sea level.

40. How did a lock work? This is an animated slide. Let it play through!

41. Line boats were freight carriers and the most numerous
craft on the canal. The boat owner’s family usually lived
aboard the boat, and a boat might include a stable for the
horses or mules used in transit. Line boats sometimes
included passenger accommodations, but these were
little more than crowded extra space for sleeping berths.

42. A passenger packet boat
Packet boats on the Erie Canal
were usually 60 to 80 feet long
and 14 feet wide. The central
cabin room served as lounge,
dining room, sleeping room,
and a kitchen. The average
charge for traveling on packet
boats was four cents per mile
($13.72) and included meals
and sleeping accommodations.

43. Painting by E. L. Henry
E. L. Henry (1841–1919), c. 1900, Pencil and watercolor, ht. 13 3/4' x w. 34 3/4",
Albany Institute of History & Art Purchase, 1976.7.2

45. "To and from Albany and Buffalo, by the Erie Canal", 1846.
Fares for packet boats traveling between Albany and Buffalo,
from the National Almanac, 1846, p. 63.
1846
Fare from Buffalo to Albany
At one cent per mile on a line boat
$3.64
If you wanted meals, it cost a half cent
extra per mile.
$5.46
The trip on a line boat took six days.
On a packet boat the fare was four cents
a mile, thus costing
$13.72
Packet boats ran only from Schenectady
to Buffalo (343 miles) and took three
and a half days.

46. So, now there’s a canal. What difference did it make?
The canal created an inexpensive and easy way to the west for thousands of settlers and immigrant families.
Cost of shipping goods overland drastically reduced, encouraging increased trade and manufacturing.
New cities came into existence and old ones grew!
Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Rome, Utica, Schenectady, Albany, and, yes, New York City!
New towns! Lockport, Middleport, Brockport, Spencerport, Pittsford, Fairport, Newark, Port Byron, etc., etc.
Beyond the Canal itself: Erie, Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis – all now had
waterway access to markets in the east.
Jesse Hawley in 1835 – “No single act – no public measure – except
the Declaration of Independence and the formation of the U. S.
Constitution had done so much to promote a new era in the history
of the country as the construction of the Erie Canal.”

47. 1. I got a mule, her name is Sal,
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal !
She’s a good old worker and a good old pal,
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
We’ve hauled some barges in our day,
Filled with lumber, coal and hay,
And we know ev’ry inch of the way
From Albany to Buffalo.
Refrain: Low bridge, ev’rybody down
Low bridge, ‘cause we’re coming to a town;
And you’ll always know your neighbor,
You’ll always know your pal,
If you ever navigated on the Erie Canal .
2. Git up there, Sal, we passed that lock,
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal !
And we’ll make Rome ‘fore six o’clock.
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal !
Just one more trip and back we’ll go,
Through the rain and sleet and snow,
‘Cause we know ev’ry inch of the way
From Albany to Buffalo.
Low bridge, ev’rybody down
Low bridge, ‘cause we’re coming to a town;
And you’ll always know your neighbor,
You’ll always know your pal,
If you ever navigated on the Erie Canal .
Perhaps the best known Erie Canal song, “Low Bridge” or
“Fifteen Miles …” was not contemporary with the times it
celebrates. It was written by Thomas Allen in 1904.

48. Where would I be if I lost my pal?
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal.
I'd like to see a mule good as my Sal.
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal.
A friend of mine once got her sore.
Now he's got a broken jaw,
'Cause she let fly with an iron toe
And kicked him back to Buffalo.
I like this verse!
Sal? Mule exhibit at the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum.

49. 1836 - 1862
The canal was enlarged between 1836 and 1862.
The "Enlarged Erie" was 70 feet wide and 7 feet deep, and
could handle boats carrying 240 tons.
The number of locks was reduced to 72.
The locks were 110 feet long and 15 feet wide.
Most of the remaining traces of the Old Erie Canal are
from the Enlarged Erie era.

50. 1836 - 1862
The "Enlarged Erie"
was 70 feet wide and 7
feet deep, and could
handle boats carrying
240 tons.
The number of locks
was reduced to 72.
The locks were 110
feet long and 15 feet
wide.
The canal at
Chittenango,
east of Syracuse.

51. In 1899 New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt encouraged further
modernization and enlargement of the Erie and other NY canals. In 1903 the
State began the reconstruction and, in some areas, rerouting of the canals.
The resulting New York State Barge Canal System * was completed in 1918 at
a cost of almost $97 million.
* In 1992 the name Erie Canal was restored to the waterway between Albany and Buffalo. The
names of the other canals (Oswego, Champlain, and Cayuga-Seneca) were likewise restored.
1903 - 1918

52. By jingo, we can
really build ‘em!
Bully!
At the same time the Erie Canal was being
modernized and expanded, Teddy, as
President, was overseeing the construction of
the Panama Canal!

53. 1903 - 1918
This is the canal that exists today.
Depth: 12 to 14 feet
Width: 120 to 200 feet
Length: 363 miles
Locks: 35 with lifts of 6 to 40 feet.
The locks are 328 feet long and 45 feet wide.
Cargo capacity per barge: 3000 tons!
The Mohawk River from Rome to Cohoes was “canalized,” with dams, locks, and marked navigation
channels. The old canal running parallel to the river was abandoned or filled in for roads and railroads.
No towpath was necessary as shipping was now motorized.

54. Depth: 12 to 14 feet
Width: 120 to 200 feet
Length: 363 miles
Locks: 35 with
lifts of 6 to 40.5 feet.
The locks are
328 feet long
and 45 feet wide.
Lock 17
1903 – 1918
Modernization

55. Lock 17 in Little Falls before construction!
During construction.

56. Lock 17 Today.
The lift/drop at Lock 17 is 40.5 feet, the highest on the canal.

57. Lockport: One set of flight locks is being replaced by two locks (numbers 34 and 35)

58. Motorized
transport on the
canal? Now
what’ll I do?

59. The slides in this presentation were taken by Harry
Schooley, John Schooley, and Lee Dryden as well as
drawn from several on-line sources. They also include
slides from the ride in 2005 and 2006.

60. Richard
Schaus
John
Schooley
Lee
Dryden

61. In 2005 Mr. Gary Sutton did the ride …

62. … as did Mrs. Linda Goodman.
Here we are at the 400 mile mark. Mr. Sutton by this time had ridden only 300 miles.
(He started the ride in Rochester.)

63. Cycle the Erie Canal
is organized by
Parks & Trails New York.
http://ptny.org/cycle-the-erie-
canal/annual-bike-tour

64. Our ride took eight days,
averaged 50 miles a day, and
we camped overnight.
Buffalo 571’ a 570’ “lift” or “drop” over 364 miles Albany 1’

65. From Buffalo to Tonawanda we followed
the old canal route along the Niagara River.
From Seneca Falls to Rome we followed the old canal route from Seneca Falls to Syracuse and on to Rome.
1912 Map showing the canal as enlarged and rerouted.
The parts of the old canal route that we rode are shown in blue.

66. the present canal (here east of Medina) the old canal (here east of Syracuse)

67. In some parts along the old canal route, the waterway no longer exists.
at Jordan, east of Syracuse
Lock 51 at Jordan
(photo taken on my 2005 ride)

68. Medina
Medina
Middle
School
Pittsford
Jefferson
Avenue
Elementary
School
Seneca Falls
Mynderse
Academy
Syracuse
Burnet Park
Rome
Fort Stanwix
Canajoharie
Canajoharie
High School
Scotia
Collins Park
Medina
Pittsford
Seneca Falls
Scotia
Syracuse
Rome
Canajoharie
Where we camped.
(In 2016 the last night’s camping location was changed to the Jewish Community Center in Niskayuna.)

69. Day One
July 8
Buffalo to Medina 47.2 miles
(sunny and comfortable)
Nichols School
Medina
Middle
School

70. The ride began at
Nichols School.

71. In 2012 there were
500 riders from 38
states and 4 foreign
countries (Canada,
Britain, Australia,
and Germany).
In 2016 there were
650 riders!

72. I’m ready!

73. Lockport
Yep! … That’s the
way to Albany!

74. Locks 35 and 34 lower the
canal over the Niagara
Escarpment.

80. Lockport: The Five Flight Locks
(2006 photo)

81. The 60 foot rise in the Niagara Escarpment presented a major engineering problem during the construction of the original Erie
Canal (1817-25). It was solved by Nathan S. Roberts, who designed a double set of five combined locks; one for ascending traffic
heading west and another for descending traffic heading east. Each lock was 90 x 15 feet and had a lift of 12 feet.
Lockport
The Five Flight Locks

82. Enlarged locks, 1832 (photo 1862)

83. Reconstructed locks, 1909-1918
From the years 1909 to 1918, the Erie Canal was modified to become the New York State Barge Canal. The southern set of locks
were removed, and in their place was constructed a set of two electric lift locks. These concrete locks with steel gates were 310
feet x 45 feet x 12 feet, and had a combined lift of 49 feet. The water gates of the northern tier of locks were removed so the
locks could be used for the passage of surplus water, thus becoming the waterfalls that they are today.

85. The Flight Locks are to the
right of Locks 34 and 35.

86. They are today
being restored to
their 1825 status.

87. Reconstructed lock gate
from the 1825 ladder locks.

90. The Canal continues for 60
miles before there’s
another lock.

96. Afternoon rest stop
at Middleport

97. The lift bridge at
Middleport

98. There is mural art
celebrating the canal
all along the route.

99. We camped overnight at
the Medina Middle School.

100. The Erie Canal in HO-scale!
In Medina we visited the
Medina Railroad Museum.

101. The museum’s HO-
scale railroad layout is
200 feet long!

103. Day Two: July 9 Medina to Pittsford 53.3 miles (sunny and comfortable)
Medina
Middle
School
Jefferson Ave
Elementary
School

104. .
We are east of
Medina headed
for Pittsford
(Rochester).

105. Culvert Road where the
road goes under the
canal.

106. The tunnel dates from
1825 and is the only
road tunnel that goes
under the canal.

107. All along the ride are small towns that originated as
canal side “ports.”
This is Albion.

108. My brother is a bit
of a rebel!

109. Many of the towns
have developed
canalside parks and
visitor centers such as
this in Holley.

110. They are nice places
to stop for a rest.

111. Adams Basin
Low bridge! Everybody
down!
Actually these bridges lift
to allow boats to pass
under them.

112. The bridge at
Spencerport is
lifting …

113. … for this sailboat on its
way to Lake Erie.
It’s interesting that this
boat flies the Swedish flag!

114. Here’s a rental boat in the
style of a canal packet.

115. These youngsters are Gus
and Huck Tritsch, the
“Fiddle Boys!” They are
from Pennsylvania and
rode with their parents on
our trek to Albany.
(Online photo from the Erie Canalway
National Heritage Corridor facebook page)

116. Gus and Huck were each evening’s entertainment.
Screen snip from YouTube

117. The Schooley brothers at
Genesee Valley Park in
Rochester. Rochester is
where the canal crosses
the Genesee River.

118. This tugboat and barge
are coming up the
Canal headed west.

120. John took a guided ride from Genesee Valley Park into central city Rochester.

121. Rochester: The Rochester Aqueduct (1840-1918) carried the Erie Canal across the Genesee River.
In 1929 the canal bed was converted to a subway line, above which Broad Street ran across the
upper level.

122. Rochester: High Falls of the Genesee (96 feet)

123. Meanwhile, back in
camp, Rich is making
smoothies by pedal
power!

124. Day Three: July 10 Pittsford to Seneca Falls 60 miles (sunny, comfortable)
Jefferson Ave
Elementary
School
Mynderse
Academy

125. Lock 30 at
Macedon

126. The Aldrich Change
Bridge in Palmyra
Change bridges
allowed mule
teams to switch to
a tow path on the
opposite side of
the canal.

127. At the Palmyra rest stop:
Libby and John from
Sydney, Australia

128. Palmyra, New York
The four churches intersection!

129. Winston Churchill’s
maternal grandparents,
Leonard Jerome and
Clarissa Hall, were
married here in 1849!
Western Presbyterian Church
Palmyra, NY
Hi, Grampa
and Grandma!

130. It was on Hill Cumorah in 1827 that Joseph Smith, then a resident
of Palmyra, received the Golden Tablets from the Angel Moroni.
Palmyra is the location of Hill Cumorah, where the
Mormon Church was founded.

131. A canal dry dock and
maintenance facility near
Lyons, NY.

132. Two of the many
youngsters who made
the ride ...

133. … as did this youngster!

134. And I was a youngster
compared to this man.
This is Stuart Levengood from
Pennsylvania. In 2012 he was
our oldest rider at age 88.
He did the ride again in 2016 at 92!

135. Seneca Falls, NY

136. The Seneca Falls
canal side.

137. The Wesleyan Chapel in
Seneca Falls where the
1848 Women’s Rights
Convention met and
the Declaration of
Sentiments was signed.

138. 2005
SEM solidarity with the
Signers of the Declaration
of Sentiments!
Mr. Schooley
Mrs. Goodman
Mr. Sutton

139. Two of my ancestors were signers of
the Declaration of Sentiments!
Margaret Schooley (right up there
with Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady
Stanton!) and …

140. … her husband
Azaliah Schooley!
Azaliah was one of the
few males who signed
the Declaration.
Frederick Douglass
was another.

141. Day Four: July 11 Seneca Falls to Syracuse 43.4 miles (sunny and comfortable)
Burnet Park
Mynderse
Academy
This route pretty much followed the route of the original canal.

142. Lock 25, north of
Montezuma National
Wildlife Refuge,
connects the Canal
to the Seneca River.

143. Lock 51 of the old
canal near Jordan, NY.

144. Almost at the half-way point!
We’re with our German rider.

146. The Nine Mile Creek
Aqueduct carries the
canal across the creek.
The aqueduct was
reconstructed in
2008- 2009.

149. We would often stop for ice cream!
This is “Yodel.” He belonged to one
of the ride’s support volunteers.

150. Syracuse, NY
Our camp was in
Burnet Park right next
to the zoo!

151. No … It really wasn’t like this, but we could hear
the lions roaring at night!

153. Does it ever rain?
It did on the 2006 ride!
Four inches fell
between Seneca Falls
and Syracuse!

154. In fact, it was so wet
that day that my
brother and I and our
two friends stayed
overnight in a hotel in
Syracuse.
Good thing because
the ride’s campsite was
flooded and the riders
“camped” inside
Syracuse University
dormitories.

155. Day Five: July 12 Syracuse to Rome 49.2 miles (sunny and hot!)
Burnet Park
Ft Stanwix
This route pretty much followed the route of the original canal.

156. Riding along the old canal near Chittenango, NY

157. Along the way between Syracuse and Chittenango. (2006 ride)

158. On the 2006 ride
we saw this
turtle along the
path.

159. Chittenango Landing:
morning rest stop
This is a canal drydock.

160. The “Fiddle Boys” at
Chittenango.
CLCBM Website photo

161. Rome!
Our campsite was on the grounds of Fort Stanwix! Cool!

162. Fort Stanwix was first
constructed in 1758 as a
British frontier post. It was
abandoned in 1768.
In 1776 American forces
rebuilt it as Fort Schuyler
and successfully defended it
against a British siege in
1777. Nearby, a key battle of
the war was fought at
Oriskany, compelling the
British to abandon their
campaign and retreat back
to Canada.
The fort burned in 1781 and
was again abandoned. The
present fort was
reconstructed in the 1970s.

168. The archivist
updates his journal!

169. Ft Stanwix
Canajoharie High School
Day Six July 13 Rome to Canajoharie 63.2 miles (The longest of the ride.) (sunny and hot!)

170. On the path
between
Rome and
Utica.

171. Canal maintenance
personnel painting
the Governor
Roosevelt above Lock
20 between Rome
and Utica.
The Governor
Roosevelt is a canal
tugboat.

172. The tug is
attached to a
hydraulic dredge
barge.
Dredges maintain
the canal’s depth.

173. One of the few parts
of the ride where
we’re on roads.
Above the Mohawk
Valley on Route 5 S
east of Herkimer –
the 300 mile mark!

174. 300!
See? 300 miles!

175. This is the Rotary Park
in Little Falls. It’s a
beautiful canal side
visitor center.

176. Looking up the
Mohawk towards
the “little” falls!

177. The “Little Falls” for
which the town is
named are actually a
series of rapids that
drop the Mohawk by
40 feet.
The “big falls” are the
70-foot waterfall at
Cohoes near Albany.

178. The canal is diverted
around the falls through
Lock 17. The eastern
entrance is a lift gate: the
western, mitre gates.

179. Lock 17 has the
highest lift / drop
on the canal – 40.5
feet.

180. The Nicholas Herkimer
Homestead - east of Little
Falls
The house dates from
1764 and is a museum.

181. Herkimer commanded
the American forces at
the Battle of Oriskany
(August 1777). The
Americans won the
battle, but Herkimer was
mortally wounded.

183. Lock 15 at Fort Plain

184. In June 2006 Lock 15 was damaged by
flooding in the Mohawk Valley.
The canal was closed for several weeks.

185. Canajoharie, NY
We camped on the high
school athletic fields.

186. To get there, we had to cycle up a very steep
hill. That was tough after a 63 - mile ride!
This is my most prized t-shirt!

187. Canajoharie High School

188. Canajoharie High’s
reception center

189. Canajoharie
High’s lobby
and student
lounge.

190. My brother asked,
“Don’t I look like
Lawrence of Arabia?”

191. Well … sort of.

192. .
We had a barbecue
dinner at the Arkell
Museum in
Canajoharie.

193. Bartlett Arkell, 1862 – 1946
As founder of Beech-Nut, Arkell
was the Milton Hershey of the
Mohawk Valley. He lived in
Canajoharie on the hill
overlooking his factory. The Arkell
Museum was endowed to house
his art collection.

194. The museum’s collection
includes a Washington
portrait by Gilbert Stuart!
William Wall’s 1862
painting, The Erie Canal

195. Day Seven: July 14 Canajoharie to Scotia 41.8 miles (rain showers  overcast  clearing, hot)
Canajoharie
High School
Collins Park

196. . We are
approaching the
Noses, the gap in
the mountains that
made the Erie
Canal possible!
July 14
A rainy morning!

197. Our morning rest stop
was at Fultonville.
It was starting to
clear.

199. A stop for coffee in
Amsterdam, NY.

200. The rain is over and it’s
sunny and clear along the
Mohawk River at
Rotterdam Junction.

201. The afternoon rest stop was
at the Mabee Farm Historical
Site in Rotterdam Junction.
The farm was founded in
1671.
The present house dates
from 1705.

202. The 54 foot by 52 foot
New World Dutch Barn
was built about 1760
near Johnstown, NY. It
was moved to the
Mabee Farm after 1998
to replace the barns
which had burned in
the 1900s. It is now
used to house displays
and exhibits.

204. Our camp was at
Collins Park in
Scotia, NY.

205. Day Eight: July 15 Scotia to Albany 36 miles (partly cloudy, then sunny, hot)
Collins Park
Olde English Pub

206. The Mohawk east of
Schenectady.

207. We’re gettin’ there!

208. At Cohoes the Mohawk
drops some 70 feet as it
flows towards the
Hudson, about a mile
east.

210. A contrast!
Above the Falls on July 16, 2006
At right the Falls on July 17, 2005
Because of the heat wave in 2005, the river
waters were diverted through the power
plant to provide air conditioning energy for
the Albany area.

211. Cohoes Falls
Waterford
Lock 4
Lock 3
Lock 5
Lock 6
What we did not see. The first five locks of the Canal link the
Hudson River with the Mohawk above the Cohoes Falls. These
locks are not on the Canalway bike path. (There is no “Lock 1.”)
Our bike route

212. The Canal begins /ends
here in Waterford on
the Hudson River.
Waterford, NY

213. Docked at Waterford
was a replica of the
17th century Dutch
yacht, Onrust
(Reckless).
The Onrust (1614) is
believed by maritime
historians to have
been the oldest
European-style vessel
built in New York.

214. The Canal meets the
Hudson River!

215. We’re now
following the
Hudson south
to Albany.

216. And the bike
path is now
paved!

217. Is it the
Emerald City?
Nope!
It’s Albany!

219. Yes … we did!

220. We are now End-to-Enders!

221. And happy to be so!

222. Loading up for the
drive back to Buffalo!

223. Driving west through the Noses “from Albany to Buffalo.”

224. http://www.eriecanal.org/index.html
An excellent Website
Cycling the Erie Canal Riders Manual, 2016
http://www.ptny.org/application/files/8214/6047/8356/2016-Rider-Handbook.pdf