The date was October 26, 1825. From Troy, New York, to New York, cannons were fired to signal the completion of what had been the greatest undertaking in New York. The rapid industrialization of America made evident the need for a connection between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. After dozens of proposals and a presidential veto, New York State and New York Mayor DeWitt Clinton took it upon themselves to dig a 363-mile canal from Troy to the sea. The Erie Canal was a feat of workforce, with 83 locks (devices for raising or lowering boats to water level), 17 aqueducts, and a path on the side for horses and mules to help pull the boats. (Photo: Erie Canal in Ohio) The construction of the canal was accomplished without modern machinery, only with men and shovels, demonstrating the strength and determination of the workers. The Erie Canal made it possible to ship goods to the upper Midwest for one-tenth of what it would have previously cost. This new method of transporting goods to/from New York via the Hudson River (Photo: Entering the Hudson) allowed New York to become a metropolis, s...