Erie Canal

The Erie Canal was completed in 1825 and became the backbone of an economic and cultural explosion that defined the image of New York. The canal’s development spurred successful industry and a booming economy,sparking massive urban growth in an area that was previously virtually unexplored wilderness. People poured west into this new spacedrawn by the ability to ship goods along the canal to the Hudson RiverNew York Cityand the world beyond. Erie Canal is a compilation of 200 vintage images from the Erie Canal Museum’s documentary collection of New York’s canal system. Vintage postcards depict life and industry along the canalincluding not only the Erie itself but also the lateral and feeder canals that completed the state-wide system.