Several land surveys followed, and by 1810, the issue was paramount in the New York legislature, where De Witt Clinton lent his political support. Although a presidential veto of a national waterway project forced the proposed canal's financial burden on New York alone, the canal bill passed the state legislature in Apr., 1817. Work on the canal was carried on by gangs made up, in many cases, of European immigrants. Tolls were abolished in 1882, however, because of its state of disrepair and to lure more traffic. Much tonnage was still shipped via the waterway in the 1950s, but the opening of the New York State Thruway and the St. Lawrence Seaway sealed the canal's commercial demise.
Traffic now consists almost entirely of pleasure boats.
The Erie Canal contributed to New York City's financial development, opened eastern markets to Midwest farm products and encouraged immigration to that region, and helped to create numerous large cities. Its initial success started a wave of canal building in the United States. Listing from Electric Library , a pay service. Copyright 2001 Infonautics Corporation . All rights reserved.