953 nut 69,718 #1 Posted 3 hours ago October 26, 1825, The Erie Canal opens, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River. Governor DeWitt Clinton of New York, the driving force behind the project, led the opening ceremonies and rode the canal boat Seneca Chief from Buffalo to New York City. Work began on the waterway in 1817. Teams of oxen plowed the ground, but for the most part the work was done by immigrants, among them Irish diggers who had to rely on primitive tools. They were paid $10 a month, and barrels of whisky were placed along the canal route as encouragement. West of Troy, 83 canal locks were built to accommodate the more than 500-foot rise in elevation. After more than two years of digging, the 363-mile Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo, was opened by Governor Clinton. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 80,866 #2 Posted 2 hours ago You guys think whatever you want to but I remember reading something at one point that Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox actually built that. 1 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 69,718 #3 Posted 2 hours ago 5 minutes ago, ebinmaine said: You guys think whatever you want to but I remember reading something at one point that Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox actually built that. He may have cut the trees and then moved on to Cheese Curd Land. Babe didn't do ditches, she just hauled logs! 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 13,157 #4 Posted 2 hours ago (edited) 50 minutes ago, 953 nut said: mmigrants, among them Irish diggers who had to rely on primitive tools. They were paid $10 a month, and barrels of whisky were placed along the canal route as encouragement If the barrels were empty, that would have been downright cruel... "Drinkin' buttermilk thru the week, whiskey on a Sunday..." Edited 2 hours ago by ri702bill 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
