The Erie Canal opens, allowing direct passage from the Hudson River to Lake Erie.

The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the upper Great Lakes above Niagara Falls, vastly reducing the costs of transporting people and goods across the Appalachians.

The Erie Canal accelerated the settlement of the Great Lakes region, the westward expansion of the United States, and the economic ascendancy of New York state.

Sunset over the Erie Canal in North Tonawanda, NY.
Sunset over the Erie Canal in North Tonawanda, NY. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
New York Relief 1
New York Relief 1 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Erie-canal 1840 map
Erie-canal 1840 map (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
DeWitt Clinton by Rembrandt Peale
DeWitt Clinton by Rembrandt Peale (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Watch: The History of the Erie Canal documentary

From the Frederic Obrien channel.

Sources and further reading: Wikipedia — Erie Canal, Hudson River, Lake Erie (CC BY-SA). Images: Wikimedia Commons.