Schoharie Crossing

— State Historic Site —

The partially water-filled ditch in front of you is a portion of the Erie Canal. Construction of this canal began July 4, 1817, in Rome, New York. The canal was dug in two directions at the same time, west toward Buffalo and east toward Albany. As soon as a section was finished, it was opened to navigation. The section between the Schoharie Creek and Schenectady opened in 1822.

The canal was located here because its builders wanted to use the bridge that spanned the creek at this point. A dam was built across the creek to create a pool of calm water. When a barge reached the creek, the draft animals crossed on the bridge and towed the barge across the pool.

Completed in 1825, the 40-foot-wide by 4-foot-deep Erie Canal successfully connected the Hudson River to Lake Erie. Over 80 locks, each measuring 90 feet long by 15 feet wide, were needed to make up the 565-foot elevation difference between those two bodies of water. Building the canal cost over $7 million, but by 1835, the tolls collected had paid off that debt.

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Show me all markers in:  Fort Hunter, NY  |  Montgomery County  |  12069  |  New York  |  United States of America

East Guard Lock
Site of Queen Anne Chapel
Site of Old Fort Hunter
Site of Last Mohawk Indian Village
A Mohawk House Unearthed
Site of First Bridge
Building Block of the Erie Canal
The Fort by the Village
In the Wake of Hurricane Irene
Once A Farm

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