The Empire State Trail, upstate New York

It's kind of long. But it includes three days of riding on this beautiful, historic, trail. It's a great ride if you ever get the chance to go. If not then you can at least see it here.

[@here_we_go_again2571]

Those are nice trails. The trails are solid and the views are interesting. Your conversations are amusing. Thank you for sharing
your really cool adventures with us armchair travelers. Well said about e-bikes! 😊😊
(subscribed)
The Empire State Trail runs alongside a portion of the *modern Erie/Barge Canal* (b. 1905--1918) It was built without towpaths;
specifically for motorized barges. [Prism size: 150 feet across (side to side) the top/? feet across the bottom. Depth 12+ feet]
Where the most recent (modern/in use) canal was built near the old canal, the (now called the) " *Old Erie Canal* " and the
original Erie Canal (aka: " *Clinton's Ditch* ") were used as feeder canals and waste weirs (overflow) channels.
There is a *Canalway Erie Canal Trail* that goes through the Erie Canal Heritage Corridor (sponsored by the National Park
Service and NY state. In some places the Empire StateTrail intersects the Erie Canal Trail and the bicycle, hiking/walking
trail is the original canal towpath.
*Original Erie Canal* / " *Clinton's Ditch* " (b. 1817--1825) [Prism: 40 feet across the top/ 26 feet across the bottom Depth 4 feet.
Towpath: about 12 feet across; usually on the south side of the canal] There was a Cholera epidemic along the canal in 1832.
After that tragedy clean drinking water was pumped down from clean resevoirs for the canal workers.
*Expanded/Improved Erie Canal* /" *Old Erie Canal * "(b.1835 --1862) It was built parallel to the original canal.
[Prism 70 feet across the top/ ?' across the bottom, Depth 6 feet with a towpath] This version of the canal was continually
upgraded (larger locks, etc. added) until about 1900. By then motorized barges had begun to appear on the Old Erie Canal.
*Barge Canal* (b. 1905--1918) took a new route from the older canals; using canalized rivers and incorporating natural lakes
(Oneida Lake, Cross Lake, etc..) and using reinforced cement rather than cut stone for its infrastructure. This canal was
expanded until the 1970's when it could no longer compete with the newly built (1954--1859) St. Lawrence Seaway. The
Erie/Barge canal channel is still maintained along with the working locks.
This interactive site shows all 3 canals:
*Erie Canal Mapping Project*
eriecanalmappingproject.com/

[@robkeener6709]

Holy smokes. What a lot of great information. I'll be checking out the site

[@johnlowry5311]

Most of the men who built the Erie canal were Irish.Many of them settled along the Erie canal. It was called Clinton"s ditch. The canal was built under budget & ahead of schedule. They made their money back in 9 years.

[@robkeener6709]

I heard that they made a million in the first year alone

[@here_we_go_again2571]

@@robkeener6709
It cost approximately seven million to build. At the time the Erie Canal was being built, the last of the UK canals
was completed and opened for business (i.e. Scotland's Union Canal, 1822) UK had 5,000 miles of canals at that
point. Clinton's Ditch (original Erie Canal) was only 363 miles long. It was the first successfully built canal in
the USA at that point in time and sparked a Canal Mania throughout the USA.
The Erie Canal was built through wilderness (1817-1825) westward from Rome, NY. The Mohawk river valley
was the Frontier during the Seven Years War/French and Indian War (1754--1763) It was still lightly populated
after the American Revolution (1776--1783) Some American Revolution battles were fought within the basin
of the Mohawk River.
The Mohawk River basin began to be settled after freedom was achieved and migration from the British Isles
(highest percentage of imigrants at the time) increased. Germans, French, Swedes Norhtern Italians (stone
cutters) and others came to the Mohawk valley in smaller numbers. Many went westard to the "Old Northwest"
(Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, later Michigan) after the Erie Canal was built. Although there was always some immigration
from Italy and Greece. Those countries (in particular southern Italy) sent immigrants once the Industrial
Revolution kicked in for the USA.
What we now call the American Midwest was opened much later (in the mid to late 1800's because of railroads).

[@ShillBabyShill]

Can only hear one side of the conversation

[@robkeener6709]

I have different software now and can do more with the audio than when I made this