On October 26, back in 1825, an historic American civil engineering project was completed, one that linked the Atlantic Ocean/Hudson River and the Great Lakes, "from Albany to Buffalo": the 363- mile Erie Canal. Dubbed "Clinton's Folly" by opponents of the canal's main supporter Gov. DeWitt Clinton, the Erie Canal became a major reason New York became "The Empire State," serving as a main route for the transport of goods and people to the growing American Midwest. The canal, improved and expanded several times over the years, continued to be competitive with railroads until the end of the 19th Century. It's still in use as a recreational waterway that connects three other canals in the state, the Cayuga, Cayuga-Seneca, and Champlain.
The popular folk song "Low Bridge, Everybody Down" (the "Erie Canal Song") was written in 1913 by Thomas S. Allen and reflects the years 1825 to 1880 when mule- drawn barges powered the economic boom and Western expansion via the Erie Canal*. If you're of a certain age, you may have learned it in elementary school, or at least have been exposed to recordings of it from The Weavers, Kingston Trio, and others. Here's Bruce Springsteen's recording of it from his 2006 album, "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions," an album showcasing folk songs made popular by folk singer and activist Pete Seeger. Hope you enjoy the Erie earworm!
* We're all but certain our ancestors used the Erie Canal to transit to Wisconsin and Minnesota from Germany and Ireland in the 1840's.
