In 1825 the Erie Canal‘s 363 miles of navigable water opened the west and heralded a new era of growth for the fledgling United States. It all happened so fast. Well, fast in historic time. Thirty-three years if you count the Inland Lock Navigation Companies.
The momentum really begins with the completion of the first phase of the Erie Canal. Within 20 years of its opening, heavy traffic could no longer be accommodated by a single lock system that was only four feet deep.
The Erie Canal was a great success. Originally the canal used a single lock system which proved to be insufficient for the traffic it was generating.
After only 17 years dual locks of greater length and width replaced the older system, dramatically improving traffic flow. The early 1840s marked the implementation of many improvements, including double locks and a new depth of eight feet.
The painting above depicts Lock 33 at St. Johnsville, in Montgomery County, New York. The tug Baxter is heading east as the canal boat Annie Laurie prepares to enter the lock on its westbound transit to Buffalo.
By the 1890s steam power was replacing mules and horses for towing. Note the massive beams used to open and close the canal gates. Up until the completion of the Barge Canal in 1918, all locks in the system were operated manually.
Between the paired locks is the lockmaster’s shed often accompanied by a nearby canal store providing supplies, food, and lodging.
Read more about the Erie Canal.
A version of this essay by artist L.F. Tantillo was first published in the newsletter of the American Society of Marine Artists. It’s provided here in support of the Albany Waterway project, which hopes to reconnect Albany with the Erie Canal and Hudson River.
Illustration: Len Tantillo’s “The Old Erie Canal,” acrylic on canvas 20 x 30 inches, 1985.
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