Funding for Reflections on the Erie Canal is provided by the
New York State Canal Corporation.
Explore the past, present and future of the Erie Canal on its bicentennial anniversary.
In 1825, the state of New York inaugurated a monumental economic engine - the Erie Canal. Born from an audacious ambition to secure financial power and seal New York’s status as the Empire State, the canal was a triumph of engineering and determination. Two-hundred years later, the human-made thread crossing the state of New York from West to East has a much broader legacy that deserves definition and exploration.
While many New Yorkers are familiar with the origin story of the Erie canal, there remain untold stories from the time of the canal’s birth. From the people who built the canal, to the indigenous communities disrupted by it - the canal revolutionized a nation still yearning to harness its potential and establish its identity. The canal unleashed a powerful movement - of people, ideas, materials, wealth and innovation.
Today, the singular historic purpose of the canal has been replaced by a broader significance. Together, the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca canals span 524 miles and serve communities in ways unimaginable to their creators. New York’s canals are a source of community, recreation, a habitat for wildlife and a resource to mitigate the impacts of a changing climate. The infrastructure of the canals also exists as a historic monument in need of maintenance and reinvestment.
In Reflections on the Erie Canal, we look back on the two-hundred-year journey of the Erie Canal and contemplate its future.
The Erie Canal was a hot bed for Underground Railroad and anti-slavery activity. Slavery was gradually abolished in New York starting in 1799 and abolished in 1827, although some people continued to be legally enslaved into the 1840s in the state. The Second Great Awakening, an evangelical Christian movement that was spread along the Canal, spurred reform movements such as abolition, women’s rights and temperance. The canal was completed in 1825, and created a pathway to freedom in canal cities and Canada west. The existence of slavery in other states and the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act put free Black people at risk of being captured and being taken back into slavery in the South. Many people followed the Erie Canal to Niagara Falls and crossed into Canada to seek their freedom.
Erie Canal Timeline
Additional Resources
Welcome to the NYS Canal System
The nation's largest state-run inland waterway system—operating since 1825 and including the Erie, Champlain, Oswego & Cayuga-Seneca canals—plus more than 150 miles of recreational trails.
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
Opened in 1825, the Erie Canal transformed New York State and had a profound influence on the nation. Explore, learn, and get involved during this auspicious anniversary year
The Erie Canal Museum
The Erie Canal Museum engages the public in the story of the Erie Canal’s transformative impacts on peoples and places in the past, present, and future.
World Canals Conference 2025
Bringing together the brightest minds working on inland waterways to share ideas and inspiration for the future of inland waterways.
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