Clinton’s FollyBy: Massimo and Emily

The Erie Canal Begins… A canal is a manmade waterway. A canal is

manmade, not natural such as the oceans or glaciers.

The person who came up with the idea for the Erie Canal was DeWitt Clinton. Others thought that the canal was impossible. They called it “Clinton’s Folly” or “Clinton’s Ditch.”

The Erie Canal started in 1812 and was finished in 1825. The Erie Canal was built to give farmers a cheaper, faster way to ship their goods to another town or community.

The Beginning (continued)

People who helped build the canal were from many different countries. Men and women worked together. Men did the digging and women did the cooking. A large majority of the canal workers were Irish and German.

GEOGRAPHY

The Erie Canal connects the Hudson River and Lake Erie. The Hudson River goes through Albany and from the Hudson River to Lake Erie in Buffalo would take eleven days.Rochester, Manlius, Camillus, and Fayetteville are cities along the Erie Canal.

THE CANAL’S USES

Over the years , the canal has been useful for , Biking, running , fishing, walking dogs and boating .The Erie Canal was used for transporting goods in a faster ,cheaper way for farmers and doctors.The Erie Canal’s impact on New York State was immense. People in New York also thought that the idea was to change for the better.Yes, it still has many uses today. When you’re biking or running you might see people fishing on boats or someone walking their dogs, its also used for tourism.

Interesting Facts The Erie Canal’s cost was almost $7 million!

The length of the canal is 363 miles.

The width of the canal is 40 feet wide at the top

and 28 feet at the bottom.

The depth of the canal is only 4 feet deep!

A lock is a device that enables a boat to pass

from one level of canal waters to another.

Locks separate two sections of the canal so the

upper level doesn’t flood the lower section.

Interesting Facts The types of boats that traveled on the

canal are: Packet Boats, Steam Boats, and Bumboats.

Dewitt Clinton died three years after the canal was completed.

The population of people in Syracuse went from 250 in 1820 to 22,000 in 1850.

Folly means to make a foolish action or idea.

About the Authors Emily Crowe

Massimo Giacona

I’m Emily, I have brown hair and hazel eyes. I love to do gymnastics. But one thing I found interesting about the Erie Canal was others called it a really cool name . Others called it the “The Eighth Wonder of the World.”

I’m Massimo, I have dark brown hair and brown eyes . I love to play video games. The one thing about the Erie Canal was how DeWitt Clinton dumped a barrel of lake Erie's water into the Atlantic ocean . It was known as the Wedding of the Waters.

Sources:“Boating Information.” NYS Canals. 14 Apr. 2011 <http://www.canals.ny.gov/exvac/boating/index.html>.

“The Erie Canal.” PBS Kids Go! 14 Apr. 2011 <http://pbskids.org/bigapplehistory/building/topic1.html>. “The Erie Canal: A Brief History.” NYS Canals. 14 Apr. 2011 <http://www.canals.ny.gov/cculture/history/>. “The Erie Canal: A Journey Through History.” ePodunk. 14 Apr. 2011 <http://www.epodunk.com/routes/erie-canal/index.html#>.

“Images of the Erie Canal in Syracuse.” The Erie Canal. 14 Apr. 2011 <http://www.eriecanal.org/Syracuse.html>.

“Locks on the Erie Canal.” The Erie Canal. 14 Apr. 2011 <http://www.eriecanal.org/locks.html>.