Another intriguing chapter in the history of transportation in America, is the building and operation of the Erie Canal beginning in the late 1810’s. We visited the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, New York a community that owes its very existence to the canal. The museum is dedicated to the preservation of the last remaining weighlock building in the nation. It was fascinating to walk through a reproduction boat and imagine ourselves as passengers or crew. What was even more intriguing was to learn how the weighlock operated and how cargo tolls were calculated. On the way back to our campsite we stopped by the Old Erie Canal State Park in a smaller community that also thrived during the canal years. The towpath is now a multi-use trail alongside the canal that is no longer used.
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