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In traveling this weekend I stumbled across the museum of a long defunct canal which transformed the region of the Catskills and the Hudson area in the early 1800s. Before the advent of railroads, it was waterways, natural and manmade, that could economically carry ores and other bulk products long distances. History is most boring, until you stand where it played out and can see for yourself the product of imagination, innovation, engineering, vision, persistence, and hard work. This one small canal is such an example. Sources of energy have always excited the imagination and plans of entrepreneurs. When the original black gold, anthracite coal, was discovered in the western section of the Catskill mtns, in early 1800’s there was a need to transport the coal from its source over the hills to a port where it was carried by ship to distant destinations. It required imagination, innovation, engineering, vision, persistence and hard work aplenty to create the canal of 108 miles in length, going up and back down the other side of about 1100 feet of elevation and crossing a number of rivers. 108 locks raised and lowered the water level 8-12 feet, allowing the mules, and their walkbeside muletenders, generally young children from orphanages, to pull the 100-ton ore barges the 108 miles up and over, and back down the 1100 feet of elevation changes. This canal was truly a miracle of the 1800s, and was in use for over 70 years.
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