The Erie Canal

The Ditch that made New YorkBy Jamie Lynn Bates

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The Erie CanalBy: William S. Allen

I've got an old mule and her name is Sal

Fifteen miles on the Erie CanalShe's a good old worker and a

good old palFifteen miles on the Erie Canal We've hauled some barges in

our dayFilled with lumber, coal, and

hayAnd every inch of the way we

knowFrom Albany to Buffalo

Low bridge, everybody downLow bridge for we're coming to

a townAnd you'll always know your

neighborAnd you'll always know your pal

If you've ever navigated onThe Erie Canal

We'd better get along on our way, old gal

Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal'Cause you bet your life I'd

never part with SalFifteen miles on the Erie Canal Git up there mule, here comes a

lockWe'll make Rome 'bout six

o'clockOne more trip and back we'll go

Right back home to Buffalo Low bridge, everybody down

Low bridge for we're coming to a town

And you'll always know your neighbor

And you'll always know your palIf you've ever navigated on

The Erie Canal

1. What is this song about?

2. What do you think mules

were used for?

Vocabulary Canal: A Canal is a man made channel of

water. Canals can connect natural bodies of water such as rivers and lakes.

Navigate: To operate a boat or ship.

Channel: A waterway that can be natural or man made.

Locks: A section of canal or river that may be closed off by gates to control the water level to enable the raising and lowering of boats that pass through it.

What is a Canal?

A Canal is a manmade channel of water. Canals can connect natural bodies of water such as rivers and lakes. The oldest canal in world is 1,000 miles long and is located in China.

What can a canal be used for?Can you think of another canal?

How is a canal used?

Canals are used for transporting people and goods.

Where in the World is the Erie Canal?

• The Erie Canal is located in the United States, in the state of New York.

New York

Back to the Future:How did this all start?

Connect Four!

The Erie Canal was created to connect four waterways:The Lake Erie, Lake Champlain, the Oswego Canal,

and the Cayuga-Seneca Canal.

This map represents New York as itExisted at the

Erie Canal’s opening.

• 1699 French Engineer Vauban suggests canal between Lake Erie & Ontario.

• 1724 -1791 Several proposals for a canal are submitted.

• 1792 A private firm builds locks to bypass Little Falls. First locks built in U.S.

• 1797 February 5 –A letter from Robert Fulton to President Washington referring to potential

canal improvements, including a canal to Lake Erie.

A Wrinkle in TimeA Wrinkle in Time

• 1798 Niagara Canal Company incorporated to build a canal between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.

• 1808 Report of the Secretary of the Treasury on the subject of Public Roads and Canals made in pursuance of a resolution of the Senate on March 2, 1807 by Albert Gallatin.

• 1816 February 16, Memorial of the Citizens of New York, in Favour of a Canal Navigation between the Great Western Lakes and the Tide-waters of the Hudson. Drafted by De Witt Clinton and signed by many citizens, it made a deep impression on the Legislature. April 17, NY Legislature passes a canal law.

• 1817 July 4, Canal construction began at Rome, NY.

A Wrinkle in TimeA Wrinkle in Time

• 1825 October 26, the first passage through canal from Lake Erie to New York City. 363 Miles in length, 40 feet wide, 4 feet deep, max displacement 75 tons; 77 locks, 90 feet by 15 feet; total lockage 655 feet.

» 2004 The Erie Canal is still used for

transporting goods.

A Wrinkle in TimeA Wrinkle in Time

Can you tell which cities are on the Erie Canal?

Albany SchenectadyRochester LockportBuffalo CanjoharieRome Utica

“The Marriage of the Waters”

• This painting is of Dewitt Clinton on the Erie Canal.

• Which man is he?

• What do you think this painting is showing?

Why are there so many cities on the Erie Canal?

• Cities form near waterways.

• What are canals or waterways used for?

• Can you think of a city in Georgia that is near a canal or other waterway?

Did you know?

• Workers that helped build the Erie Canal worked on the Augusta Canal when they were finished in New York.

• Other workers consisted of free African Americans as well as Chinese workers that had just finished the Transcontinental Railroad.

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