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The Ingenuity Behind the Building of the Erie Canal

A feat of its time, the canal retains a sense of awe today.

Carol Labuzzetta, MS
4 min readOct 27, 2022
Erie Canal and the Spencerport lift bridge with watch tower.
Lift bridge over the Erie Canal in Spencerport, New York. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2021.

Yesterday, I read on a History.com post that it was the anniversary of the opening of the Erie Canal. The year was 1825. The website’s article which I’ve attached via a link, here, is very informative and will give you all that you need to know about the building of this essential canal that connected ports of the east and the midwest by traversing New York State.

For those that are unfamiliar with New York topography, it is a state of many faces — not only human faces brought here through Ellis Island and the days of yore but also many geological faces. It is not just the skyscrapers of New York City which is a long, long way from Buffalo and the Niagara Escarpment, over 400 miles.

Along the way, there are rolling hills, freshwater lakes, gorges like Letchworth State Park and Watkins Glen, and the Niagara River Gorge with the famous Falls, as well as acres and acres of farmland and forest. It can be a beautiful state, depending on where you are and what you value in a landscape.

Waterfall and a train trestle bridge over the gorge at Letchworth State Park , showing layers of rock worn away.
Letchworth State Park in New York State. Upper Falls. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2021.

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Carol Labuzzetta, MS
Carol Labuzzetta, MS

Written by Carol Labuzzetta, MS

I write about the environment, education, nature, and travel. Having two master's degrees, in nursing and environmental education, I am a teacher at heart.

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