Unlocking New York explores 200 years of the Erie Canal
Unlocking New York: 200 years of the Erie Canal
The state’s canal system — considered an engineering marvel when it opened in 1825 — still shapes New York’s cities, economy and culture.
Syracuse didn’t exist when the Erie Canal opened 200 years ago. That changed quickly as the city saw its fate rise and fall with the Canal. Today, 80% of upstate New York’s population still lives within 25 miles of the canal system, one of many signs of its incalculable and continued influence on the region and the state.
The Canal didn’t just change New York, though. It carried ideas like Mormonism west and ushered in an era of relentless land grabs that dramatically shrank the Haudenosaunee homeland. Yet many Haudenosaunee still make their homes here, make art here and fight to have their influence on American democracy recognized.
The area has plenty of problems, including higher rates of opioid overdoses and a long legacy of environmental racism tied to infrastructure projects like the Canal. But the opioid death rates are starting to fall, and there’s some real progress to celebrate. That includes the return of eagles to the shores of Onondaga Lake and the development of recreation along the Canal, including world-class birding.
Those are just some of Unlocking New York‘s 34 stories written by student journalists with help from dozens of other student editors, photo journalists and designers in this special in-depth and interactive project.
You can explore Unlock New York in the special presentation’s five channels that follow:
Canal Culture
The Canal gave rise to unique artistic and cultural expressions. Venues like the Arkell Museum preserve early examples of those works, while contemporary artists use the current landscape to inspire their work.
Corridor Living
The Canal’s 363 miles across New York state supported the growth of many cities and infused the region with new food traditions. With large stretches of it now protected and used for recreation, the Canal attracts birders, kayakers and many others.
Echoes of Erie
Mormonism, women’s suffrage, abolition and novel ideas about criminal justice all sprang to life in the fertile lands along the Canal corridor.
Foundations and Frameworks
The first large-scale public works project in America, the Canal became one of the most pivotal pieces of infrastructure in the nation’s history, thanks in part to the engineering marvel of its locks.
Here First
The Canal cuts through the heart of the Haudenosaunee homeland and inspired one of the many illegal land grabs that changed life forever for upstate New York’s first inhabitants. But the Haudenosaunee remain, enriching upstate New York communities while fighting to retain their land and their traditions.