SOURCE: [Smithsonian Museum of History, 1821]
Construction
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On April 15th, 1817, the state of New York passed the project of the Erie Canal, allowing a $7,000,000 budget. Construction began on July 4th, 1817.
The proposed route covered 363 miles of wilderness with an elevation difference of 568 feet; crossing hills, swamps, and forests.
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"Most diggers were Irish immigrants. They took up digging because it was one of the only jobs they could get. They dug in swamps and forests and were subject to diseases like cholera and malaria." "Construction on the prism was done by first removing the trees, then loading soil into mule-drawn carts which was then transferred to the lower band to ensure the canal would not breach. Extra soil was also used for the tow path used by the mules." |
"The workers lived on the edge of subsistence financially; physically, canal work was back breaking, dangerous, and at certain times fraught with the near certainty of cholera and malaria, which carried off sizable chunks of the work force during virulent years." |
The canal was completed on October 26th, 1825.