GPS- 43.074345, -75.922202
The Erie Canal was not the first. Many canals had been dug in the past including the Fossdyke Canal built by the Romans, and many canals Like the Panama and Suez would come later. But what would make the Erie Canal so unique? Why would this canal capture the imaginations of so many? And just what does it take to make a canal? First it starts with a ditch...
Courtesy of Steve Talbot
At its heart, a canal is just a ditch with water that connects two locations. It allows ships of a certain size to safely bring cargo and passengers between these two points. Usually it shaves off time from land travel and makes getting goods to port easier and cheaper than overland routes. In a growing new nation, the stage coach routes could take months overland to get goods to and from market. The Erie Canal was dug to connect the ports of New York City to the Great Lakes and beyond. About 35 Miles of that crossed Onondaga County.
Originally, "Clinton's Ditch" was dug to be 4 feet deep and 40 feet wide. It was dug by hand and hand tools and wheel barrows. The easiest sections were dug first. The construction started just east of Onondaga County in Rome. The "Rome Level" or "Long Level" to the east of Syracuse was completed by 1819 and the Jordan Level to Montezuma west of Syracuse was completed and operational by 1820. The harder sections at the far east and western ends that connected to the center would take a bit longer longer. The whole 363 mile long route was completed in 1825. It did not take long for it to be determined that it was so successful that it needed to be bigger. Eventually it would be widened to 7 feet deep by 70 feet wide to allow larger boats with larger payloads to pass.
Now that there was a ditch, water could be added and...
Presto: A Canal---the Erie Canal was born!
35 miles of it crossed crossed Onondaga County and each point has a story to tell.
Here at Pool's Brook you have just crossed over the county line
into Onondaga County with your cargo in tow.
Heading west, you would end up in the widewaters at Pool's Brook. Not all ships made the 363 mile journey from Albany. Sometimes they just picked up their cargo and headed back the way they came. They needed a place wide enough to turn a boat around every so often along the length of the canal. Enter: Pool's Brook or Poolsbrook. Peter Pool built a sawmill on a tributary nearby. He also ran a store along the canal. It allowed him to get goods to market and get new merchandise in exchange.
Today the Erie Canal Trail sits on the old Towpath. The north side of the canal was for mules and their drivers and was the Towpath for pulling the boats. The south side of the canal was the foot path and for pedestrians. Pedestrians and carriages could be fined for being on the towpath. Today it is used by bicyclists, runners, hikers, horseback riders and even snowmobiles in many parts.
When the canal opened, Pool's Brook let them know they weren't far from the crossroads of new Village of Syracuse---the almost half way point of the original canal--- a place to get more supplies than could be procured in Peter's store...so off they continued their journey west on the Towpath...35 miles across Onondaga County....
And if you like tongue twisters,
here's one with as many twists and turns as Clinton's Ditch 😎
"Peter Pool packed part of a parked packet
partially with a peck of pickled peppers.
If Peter Pool packed a parked packet,
What part of the packets could Peter Pool pack?
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