Oswego River Canal. Photo courtesy Oswego County Department of Promotion and Tourism
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Oswego River Canal
In 1825, the
same year that the Erie Canal was completed, $160,000 was
authorized by the state to build the Oswego Canal. The Oswego
Canal, which was completed two years later, connects the Erie Canal
with Lake Ontario. Oswego gets its name from a Native American
word, osh-we-geh, which means "pouring
out place" -- referring to the place the river waters pour into
Lake Ontario.
For close to a century, the Oswego branch of the Erie
Canal ran adjacent to the Oswego River and was important waterway
for trade. In 1917, completion of the New York State Barge Canal
System deepened the canal to 14 feet from its original four feet
depth. The canal system comprises four canals: the Oswego Canal,
the Erie Canal, the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, and the Champlain Canal.
The part of the 23.7 mile Oswego River on the canal system is used
extensively for both commercial and recreational purposes.
The homes along the Oswego River are built in a range
of architectural styles that include Federal, Greek Revival,
Italinate, and the Second Empire, which reflect the different time
periods the area was settled.
Documentation includes one photograph and a fact
sheet.
Originally submitted by: Charles E. Schumer, Senator.
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The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.
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