A canal boat, the Charlotta, transports lumber on the Ohio & Erie Canal.

Providing Vital Transportation Links

Before the construction of canals in North America, horse trails and coastal routes were the only ways to transport goods. To provide a viable alternative and escalate trade, uninterrupted stretches of man-made channels were introduced along the course of existing waterways, connecting lakes and canalizing meandering rivers. Canals could considerably improve the inland transportation of goods, as a barge could typically transport 30 tons of goods compared to just one-eighth of a ton that a horse could carry.  The first canal, the Conewago Canal, was constructed in Pennsylvania in 1797, marking the beginning of the Canal Era, which spanned the first half of the 19th Century. During this time, these highly engineered channels moved goods and people faster and more efficiently, and they came to be viewed as a vital component of the agricultural, industrial, and economic development of North America.

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Passenger Train.

Giving Rise to Railroad Construction

The positioning of canals also prompted the construction of some of the earliest railroads. Initially, the railway was promoted as a supplement to the canals, offering shortcuts for passengers and connecting segments of the waterways that were unserved. The promoters of New York’s first railroad, the Mohawk and Hudson, assured shareholders that it would not be in competition with the Erie Canal but would supplement its activities. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ran alongside the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. In Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad was constructed to supplement the Schuylkill and Union canals that ran between Philadelphia and Harrisburg.

Controlling Drainage, Irrigation, and Flooding

As well as being commercially significant for transportation and trade, the New Basin Canal in New Orleans also served an important role in draining the surrounding swampy land and controlling flooding. The canal was first opened in 1838, and almost 60 years later, the enlarged system was used to address the city’s drainage needs. By 1915, the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board oversaw infrastructure comprising 70 miles of inland waterways and three pumping stations.  While there is only a small portion of the New Basin Canal channel still in use, the canal system made an indelible mark on the geography of the New Orleans cityscape, which can still be seen today

Family on a Canal Boat.

Enabling the Dissemination of People and Ideas

As the Erie Canal facilitated trade and opened previously inaccessible land, populations and settlements, including the cities of Chicago and Buffalo, grew rapidly in the Midwest. As a result of increased migration, progressive communities, religious movements, and social reform also flourished in the towns bordering the canal. The canal corridor saw the birth of Mormonism in Palmyra, the home of Joseph Smith. At the same time, the suffragist movement was galvanized after a pivotal women’s convention was held in Seneca Falls in 1848.

From the late 18th century onward, canals began to play a crucial role in transporting industrial and agricultural goods across America.  In addition, the extensive networks also served to manage water supplies, accompany the expansion of the railways, and even prompt social change by enabling the spread of information and ideas. All these factors contributed significantly to the rapid development and expansion of America during the 19th Century

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