The opening of the Brockport to Buffalo section in October 1825 marked the completion of the 348 mile Erie Canal. By linking the Hudson River with the Great Lakes, the Canal provided the first economical means of transportation from the eastern seaboard to the Midwest. The cost of shipping a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City fell from $100 to $5-10. This made mass settlement of the Midwest practical and enabled the United States to become a continental nation. Communities like Brockport along this new highway to the west benefited greatly from the Canal and became important ports for shipping agricultural and industrial products.
One of the seven Toll Collector's offices on the canal was located on Brockport's south bank. This benefited Brockport economically during the canal's peak years in the mid-19th century, as all canal traffic was required to stop at the village and toll receipts were deposited in local banks.
Hiel Brockway
Hiel Brockway, Brockport's co-founder, was a land speculator, developer, home builder, and brick maker. His boatyard was called the largest canal packet boat builder in the world. His Red Bird Packet Line carried passengers between Albany and Buffalo. Congressman Elias B. Holmes, Brockway's son-in-law, ran the competing Opposition Packet Line.
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This photograph of the Village of Brockport east of Main Street was taken before 1910, when the Canal was enlarged to its current width.
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