The Erie Canal, constructed from 1817 through 1825, created a 363 mile long transportation route through the wildness. The completed canal linked Lake Erie in Buffalo,New York to the Hudson River at Albany.

A series of canals and locks combined with existing waterways created a waterborne trade route into the western frontier. The Erie Canal diverted trade away from the Saint Lawrence River to New York City making it a great trade center.

Construction of the canal represented a technological and industrial challenge for the fledgling nation. It required massive human effort to dig the canal through virgin forest. Workers used oxen to pull stumps and remove debris.

Against substantial opposition, Dewitt Clinton, New York State Governor,championed the canal and raised large sums of investment capital needed to complete the project. The opening of the Erie Canal culminated in a statewide celebration that included a succession of cannon shot along the canal and a grand parade in New York City.

The Erie Canal represented the first large infrastructure project in the developing nation striving to control its destiny in a world market and contributed in making New York City one of the premier centers of trade in the world.