The construction of the Erie Canal was perhaps one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century. Stretching 365 miles from Albany to Buffalo, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic ocean, the Erie is one of the largest man made canals in the United States.

The Erie Canal was first proposed by Jesse Hawley, a Lockport resident! New York state governer, DeWitt Clinton was impressed with Hawley's idea and pushed for the construction of the Canal. The Canal then became known as "Clinton's Ditch." The New York state legislature authorized construction of the canal in 1817. Construction began immediatly, it was a challenging project, and there were many problems along the way. Central NY was a swamp and so many workers died of Malaria that construction was halted until winter when the misquiteos were in hibernation. Work on the Canal was done mostly by Irish immigrants who were paid only a few cents a day. As an incentive, barrels of whiskey were buried at intervals along the Canal's path. Workers got to enjoy whatever whiskey they found. The Lockport portion of the Canal was the hardest to complete. Lockport lies right on the Niagara Escarpment, the western end of Lockport is fifty feet higher in elevation than the eastern end. Therefore a system of five locks was constructed, these locks allow boats to actually sail uphill. Also due to the escarpment the Canal had to be blasted out of solid rock. This was accomplished with black powder. Not many of the workers were experienced with black powder (in that business you didn't live long enough to gain experiance) and they often used to much. Large rocks often rained down on the city injuring civilians and damaging buildings! The construction of the Erie Canal is, in part, responsible for Lockports very existance. Many busineses sprang up along the work site to provide workers with food, clothing, and housing. Fortunately after the completion of the Canal Lockport did not turn into a ghost town.

The Erie Canal officially opened on October 26, 1825 with the "Marriage Of The Waters" Ceremony.The total cost to the state of NY was $7,143,000, and toll was imposed to pay for the canal. The Canal was a great boon to the economy of NY and by 1835 the toll revenues had turned a profit.

Before the Erie Canal it cost $100.00 per ton to ship goods by wagon from Albany to Buffalo, on the Canal it only cost $10.00 per ton! In modern times the Erie Canal is no longer used to ship goods. Due to the speed and price of rail transport and other types of shipping, the Canal is mostly used for pleasure boating. The Erie Canal is now primarily a tourist attraction and efforts are underway throughout NY to preserve it's history.