What is the meaning of the Erie Canal song?
Also known as “Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal”, “Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal”, “Erie Canal Song”, “Erie Barge Canal”, and “Mule Named Sal”, the song memorializes the years from 1825 to 1880 when the mule barges made boomtowns out of Utica, Rome, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo, and transformed New York into the …
Why does the song say 15 miles on the Erie Canal?
Fifteen miles was the common distance a mule or horse would work before resting. This is “a falsehood made up to explain a falsehood,” says Dan Ward, former curator at The Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse NY.
Who wrote the Erie Canal song?
Thomas S. AllenLow Bridge, Everybody Down (or Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal) / Lyricist
What is the history of the Erie Canal?
Built between 1817 and 1825, the original Erie Canal traversed 363 miles from Albany to Buffalo. It was the longest artificial waterway and the greatest public works project in North America. The canal put New York on the map as the Empire State—the leader in population, industry, and economic strength.
What killed the Erie Canal?
More than half of the original Erie Canal was destroyed or abandoned during construction of the New York State Barge Canal in the early 20th century. The sections of the original route remaining in use were widened significantly, mostly west of Syracuse, with bridges rebuilt and locks replaced.
Where is the Erie Canal?
upstate New York
The Erie Canal is a 363-mile waterway that connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River in upstate New York. The channel, which traverses New York state from Albany to Buffalo on Lake Erie, was considered an engineering marvel when it first opened in 1825.
Who proposed the Erie Canal?
DeWitt Clinton
In 1816, as a sitting Canal Commissioner, DeWitt Clinton submitted a formal petition to a joint committee of the New York State Senate and Assembly to create a canal system between the Hudson River and Lake Erie.
Does the Erie Canal still exist?
Nearly 200 years old and still going strong. New York’s canal system has been in continuous operation since 1825, longer than any other constructed transportation system on the North American continent. Over the years, it has been enlarged three times to accommodate larger boats and more traffic.
What president built the Erie Canal?
DeWitt Clinton His efforts paid off, and in 1817 the first canal authorization bill passed by a narrow margin. Clinton was elected Governor later that year, just before construction of the Erie Canal started at Rome on July 4, 1817.
Why was the Erie Canal important?
The completion of the Erie Canal spurred the first great westward movement of American settlers, gave access to the rich land and resources west of the Appalachians and made New York the preeminent commercial city in the United States.
Why is the Erie Canal important to American history?
Does Erie Canal still exist?
Portions of the original canal are still operable, though tourism is now the main source of boat traffic along the Erie Canal. Commercial and shipping traffic declined abruptly after the completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959.
Why was Erie Canal important?
How did the Erie Canal affect the civil war?
Echoing those claims, many historians believe that the Erie Canal had a major impact on the outcome of the American Civil War. Not only did the canal play a role in transporting food and material, but it also strengthened economic and social ties between the northeastern seaboard and the Midwest.