Oh, did we say the Erie Canal? Well that's what we all call it because that's what it was. Officially it's the The New York State Canal System.

This waterway (that both separates and links our cities) was an important factor in the development of our country's commerce back in the mid 1800's. Back in 1808, U.S. Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin, proposed building canals as a way to link natural waterways for transporting goods. High on the list of proposals was one to link the Hudson River with the Great Lakes. This would provide a means of transporting farm products from the west (western New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio) to New York City and Philadelphia; in turn, the necessary manufactured goods from these latter two cities could be shipped to the needy settlers just mentioned. This meant a much longer canal than any that had previously been dug in the United States. Therefore, the associated costs and engineering obstacles were considered by most observers as simply impractical.

In 1817, DeWitt Clinton, an avid canal supporter, was elected governor of New York on this issue. That same year, the digging began to create the Erie Canal and was completed in 1825 at a cost of $7 million. It connected Lake Erie at Buffalo with the Hudson at Troy and Albany, a water distance of 363 miles. "Clinton's Ditch," as people mockingly called the canal in its infancy, soon became busy with freight and passenger traffic and reaped a good profit. The fact that the state was able to recoup its money within ten years was a measure of the success of this venture. Goods were shipped between the Great Lakes region and New York City in eight days at a fraction of the old cost. Teams of mules or horses pulled passenger packet boats through the canal from Buffalo to Albany in three and a half days.

The Erie Canal was enlarged several times. Finally, it became the chief link in the New York State Barge Canal System with its western terminus here in the Tonawandas. The system today embraces about 520 miles (837 kilometers) of waterway and has 57 locks. The channel is 12 feet (3.7 meters) deep and 75 to 200 feet (23 to 61 meters) wide. It is still used for bulky products. About 416,000 tons of cargo have moved through the system every year. Leading cargoes have been petroleum and its products, molasses, cement, asphalt, and machinery, More than 150,000 recreational boats go through the system annually. The fact that it also joins the international waters of the Niagara River with Canada's shore visible on its other side has added to its strategic value.

In 1954, Congress authorized the joint development of the St. Lawrence Seaway with Canada. lt opened in 1959 and permitted oceangoing ships to sail up the St. Lawrence River and through the Great Lakes. As a result, the commercial use of the canal diminished greatly. Today, the New York State Barge Canal has taken on a new complexion. It is recognized not only as an important recreational waterway but as a historic tourist attraction. The state of New York along with the federal government's HUD have allocated millions to revitalize the Erie Canal as a worldwide tourist attraction. Some of this work has already begun here in the Tonawandas and its results will be seen this summer. New transient docking facilities and services directed toward boaters are underway. We will continuously update this page to keep you informed of the progress being made on our revitalization work.

One thing we can guarantee you: upon arriving in your craft, there is no more beautiful sight than the setting sun over the Niagara River at its junction with the Erie Canal. The National Weather Service's web page states that this area has the sunniest and driest summers of any major city in the Northeast, with enough rain to keep vegetation green and lush. The stabilizing effect of Lake Erie continues to inhibit thunderstorms and enhance sunshine in the immediate area through most of July.

We "canawlers" will be waitin' to greet you along the towpath here in the Twin Cities of the Tonawandas!