Opening of the Erie Canal
After eight years of construction, the Erie Canal opened for passage on October 26, 1825. At the request of New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, the New York state legislature had provided $7 million to finance the project. The man-made canal was 40 feet wide, 4 feet deep, and ran for 363 miles between Lake Erie and the Hudson River. The canal facilitated trade between New York City and the Midwest–manufactured goods were shipped out of New York and agricultural products were returned from the Midwest. As the canal became vital to trade, New York City flourished and settlers rapidly moved into the Midwest and founded towns like Clinton, Illinois.
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