The Erie canal

The Erie Canal runs 363 miles from Lake Erie in the West to Albany in the East. The Erie canal was built by Governor DeWitt Clinton and engineered by Benjamin Wright construction  started in Rome N.Y from July 1817 and opened in October 1825 with an elevation change of 565 ft and has 34 locks with a depth of 4ft and a width of 40ft for reference the Panama canal is only 51  miles long 85ft above sea level and 110 feet wide The cost of building the canal in $7143,00 {that's $14,664,579 in today's money}The first boat on the canal was The Seneca Chief it was an astonishing 10day trip with governor DeWitt on board from Buffalo to Albany vs the 15 to 45 days the shorter trips also made it more cost effective by wagon for a ton of cargo it cost $125 {$2,566.25 into days money} with the canal it was $6 a ton {that's $123.18 in today's money} to hall such big loads they would you a team of houses or oxen to tow the boats on the path on the sides of-the canal