Timeline

-          1792: The Western Inland Lock Navigation Company was charged with the improvement of the natural inland navigation route that connected Albany with Oswego.

-          1807-1808: Jesse Hawley made essays on the practicality of a canal between the Hudson and Lake Erie.

-          1808: The state survey of possible canal routes conducted by State Surveyor General Simeon DeWitt and James Geddes.

-          1809: The Erie Canal Project was shown to President Thomas Jefferson but it was rejected because it was considered impossible and prompted another survey to be done for the canal.

-          1810: Another survey had to be conducted because of Thomas Jefferson which assembled a new team to survey the region of Albany and Buffalo led by Dewitt Clinton.

-          1811: The state appointed a 7 man commission made of wealthy landowners in charge of intrastate navigation and the financing of the project (Gouverneur Morris and Dewitt Clinton are a part of this Commission).

-          1812-1815: The War of 1812 greatly affected the canal project creating problems and setbacks to fund the project. But after the war excitement sparked because of the potential benefit of the Erie Canal in the new period of peace.

-          1817: Dewitt Clinton becomes governor and the project starts to get backed up by the whole state.

-          July 4th 1817: The actual construction of the Erie Canal began.

-          October 26th 1825: The grand opening of the Erie canal.

-          1836 - 1862: The Erie Canal was enlarged and improved to support the heavy traffic.

-          1903: The state decide to enlarge the Erie Canal which the construction was called the Barge Canal.

-          1905: Construction of the Barge Canal started.

-          1918: Construction of the Barge Canal finished.
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