It cut through 363 miles of wilderness and measured 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep. It had 18 aqueducts and 83 locks and rose 568 feet from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. The first boat on the Erie Canal left Buffalo, N.Y. after eight years of construction. As the canal became vital to trade, New York City flourished and settlers rapidly moved into the Midwest and founded towns like Clinton, Illinois. 1854 Oct 26, Charles William Post, food manufacturer, was born.
Old age is the most unexpected of all the things that happen to a man.
Oct 26, Mahalia Jackson, gospel singer, was born. Oct 26, Beryl Markham, aviator and writer, was born. 1912 Oct 26, By an executive order Delaware was represented by the first star and Delaware wais represented by the top stripe of the American flag. Delaware was the first of the 13 colonies to ratify the Constitution, on Dec. 7, 1787. It was thus assigned the top of the 13 stripes and the first of the then 48 stars by an executive order signed by President William Howard Taft.