Published: November 27, 2009 11:57 pm      

CANAL DISCOVERY: Early canal planning

In the 17th century, the English colonies along the Atlantic coast faced a dilemma — how to solve the transportation problems between coastal ports and the unsettled heartland of the continent. Close to the Atlantic, rivers sometimes provided adequate waterways, but further inland, the Allegheny Mountains presented a difficult obstacle. Passengers and freight had to travel overland, a journey made more difficult by the rough condition of the roads. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it became clear to coastal residents that the city or state that succeeded in developing a cheap, reliable route to the West would enjoy considerable economic success. It was also felt that the gateway port at the end of such a route would see its business increase greatly.

Spurred on by the success of the Bridgewater Canal and other canals in Britain, early Americans were excited about the idea of creating artificial rivers to improve their own transportation routes. Perhaps the first discussion of an American canal was suggested by Cadwallader Colden who proposed using the Mohawk Valley in 1724. Further south, George Washington led a serious effort to turn the Potomac River into a navigable link to the west. He deposited substantial energy and his own capital into the Patowmack Canal from 1785 until his death 14 years later. Christopher Colles, who was also familiar with the Bridgewater Canal, surveyed the Mohawk valley and made a presentation to the New York state legislature in 1784 proposing a canal from Lake Ontario. The proposal drew some attention and a little action, but ultimately did not come to fruition.

Other early proponents of a canal along the Mohawk River were Gouverneur Morris and Elkanah Watson. Their efforts led to the creation of the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company, which took the first steps to improve navigation on the Mohawk, but the company proved that private financing was inadequate, paving the way for state operation of later canal projects.

As early as 1699, merchants and statesmen alike were proposing a canal to connect the Hudson River with the Great Lakes and, in1798, the Niagara Canal Co. was incorporated in an attempt to build, albeit unsuccessfully, a canal along this route. The advocate who finally got the canal built was Lockport’s own Jesse Hawley. His original enterprise involved growing huge quantities of grain on the largely unsettled Western New York plains and offering it for sale on the east coast. He went bankrupt, however, trying to achieve this goal. While in debtors’ prison in Canandaigua, he started advocating for the construction of a canal along the Mohawk Valley that would solve the transportation problems that he experienced. He had strong support from Joseph Ellicott, land agent for the Holland Land Company in Batavia. Ellicott realized that a canal would add immense value to the land he was selling in the western part of the state. Ellicott later became one of the first canal commissioners, along with another now-well-known statesman, DeWitt Clinton. Clinton is best remembered for his roll in gaining approval and obtaining the funds from the New York state Legislature for the eventual construction and completion of the Erie Canal, the preeminent canal building project in the United States.

Doug Farley is director of the Erie Canal Discovery Center. Contact him at 434-7433. The Erie Canal Discovery Center is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.