On the Erie Canal

By Anna Wallace, Middleport Village Historian

Canals had been built for centuries, but the Erie Canal was new in almost every aspect. It was the longest at 363 miles, and the rise in terrain from Albany to Buffalo required 83 locks. The longest level on the entire length was between Lockport and Rochester. With no engineering schools, this project was one of the worlds' major engineering triumphs, and was called "the 8th Wonder of the World." The experience gained during its construction was the basis for more difficult feats.

Ground was broken in a field near Rome, NY, on July 4, 1817, and work progressed in both directions. When contracts for the western part were let in 1821, clearing of the woods began in this area, as at that time the stretch through what is now Middleport was all forest. The canal was opened by sections as work progressed. By 1824, travel from the east went as far as Lockport.

The most difficult and expensive section of the project was the 3-mile stretch of 25-30-feet deep rock west of Lockport. The second most difficult was through the Montezuma Swamp near Syracuse, where the problem was mosquitoes and epidemics of Swamp Fever. The third most difficult was with the fluid mud in the swamp at Pendleton.

"Necessity is the mother of invention, and many inventions were made as work progressed. In Niagara County the most important was a horse-powered crane that revolutionized excavation work and enabled the Lockport section to be finished on time.

The official opening of the full length of the Grand Erie Canal was on October 26, 1825. When the flotilla of boats left Buffalo, word was "telegraphed" to New York City by the firing of cannons that were placed every 5-12 miles all along the route. It took 55 minutes for the message to reach New York. There were cannons at Medina and Knowlesville, and we wonder if there could have been one at Middleport.

This seems like a unique way of announcing to the world that the great undertaking was a success, but this telegram system had a two-fold purpose. A huge ball was scheduled to be held in New York on opening night, and if anything had happened at Lockport to delay the opening, the ball would have been postponed. Early information was important!

The canal was the first Thruway in the country, although the water in "Clinton's Ditch" was originally only four feet deep. The only culvert is the one east of Medina. The canal had a monopoly on transportation before the coming of the railroad, and was possibly the most important factor in the opening of the new far Western Territories — Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. The original cost of the canal was a little over $7.1 million. Tolls were first levied in 1820, and by 1836 returns amounted to more than the cost of the project.

When the first turnpike across the state was built in 1817 an 8-horse freight wagon, with good luck, could make the trip from Albany to Buffalo in 15 days, charging $100 per ton. Under poor conditions, the trip might take 6 weeks. The canal boat schedule was 5-6 days, charging $6 per ton. A freight wagon carried 100 bushel of wheat, or 3 ton, while the teamster walked; the same team hitched to a canal boat could haul 50 ton of wheat without great effort. In this area the price of wheat increased from .30 to $1.00 a bushel. Freight waited at every dock, and towns sprang up over night.

The early packet boats were 30-40 feet long and drawn by 3-horse tandem, kept at full trot and changed every 8-10 miles, so that the speed was about 5 mph. Packet boats from Medina and Gasport brought workers to the canning factory here, daily. The older residents of the village can remember when a half-dozen or more barges at a time would be lined up to unload sulphur for Niagara Sprayer & Chemical Co. The heavy "chug" of the engines often caused dishes to rattle a quarter-mile away; the bridge tenders were on duty 24-hours.

In 1973, the old towpath on the north side of the canal was leveled from Lockport to Rochester, and re-surfaced to make a recreational trail for hikers, joggers and bikers. For many years the canal bank has been lined with probably a half-mile of yachts, as boaters took advantage of the last few good weekends of summer — especially over Labor Day.

This summer informational kiosks have been placed on the north side of the canal at Margaret Droman Park, Middleport, and at the canal bridge at Gasport.