Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal

Test Question: What was the significance of the Erie Canal?
Calvin's Response: In the cosmic sense, probably nil.
Calvin: We "big picture" people rarely become historians.

When I read this morning's Calvin and Hobbes (originally published on this day, eleven years ago), I thought somebody was playing a practical joke on me because I just happened to finish reading a book about the Erie Canal late last night. Coincidence? I don't think so. Obviously, Bill Watterson drew the strip knowing that Peter L. Bernstein would write Wedding of the Waters ten years later and that I would come across the book at the library a year after that, read it and complete it this week.

The construction of the original Erie Canal in New York took eight years and seven million dollars to complete. The 363-mile manmade waterway connected the Hudson River with Lake Erie (and the Mississippi River beyond that). When it opened in 1825, it not only revolutionized New York's economy, but America's economy as well. It was a catalyst for westward expansion and international trade. Considering the tools and technology available at the time, the Erie Canal was an engineering marvel and is one of the most impressive public works projects in American history.

I remember learning about the Erie Canal in the fifth grade. The memory is quite clear because I remember the teacher playing the piano and having us sing an old folk song called "Low Bridge, Everybody Down". As I recall, the teacher was very fond of playing the piano and increasing our appreciation of music. Her classroom must have been one of the few in the school that actually had an instrument in it. Anyway, the first verse was always my favorite part of the song.

I've got a mule, and her name is Sal,
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal.
She's a good ol' worker an' a good ol' pal,
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal.
We've hauled some barges in our day,
Filled with lumber, coal, and hay,
And we know every inch of the way
From Albany to Buffalo.