Through the National Council for Geographic Education, I participated in an interesting webinar today hosted by ESRI, the company that makes GIS Software essentially to educate the world about the world. The session today was presented by my friend, Dr. Joseph Kerski (Click here to read my interview with Dr. K) and by Professor Carol Gerhmehl.
This photo is in the Public Domain
Today’s lesson was about the building of the Erie Canal across the state of NY in the 1800s. I certainly learned a great deal, and what made this lesson crystal clear was the fact that I was able to see the GIS software in use as I listened to the lecture. You’ve really got to observe a demonstration of ESRI’s software programs, if you haven’t already. You can view layers of information that paper maps simply cannot offer. This is by far the best way to teach children (and adults) about many aspects of geography.
Back to the Erie Canal. . . Did you know that Philadelphia was the largest port in US prior to 1820 and that New York was not the largest city in the US until 1830? Neither did I! Before the 363-mile Erie Canal was completed in 1825, water transport from New York west to Ohio was challenging, time consuming and expensive due to the mountainous barrier. Boats had to be small enough to be lifted out of the water in places. (Click here to read an article about transport before the canal.) The Erie canal, connecting the Hudson River to Lake Erie, essentially reduced the cost of transporting goods from $100 per ton to about $10 per ton. As far as time savings, the canal reduced the route between New York City and Buffalo from 20 days to only 8! In 1862 the canal was widened to provide even better transportation services.
Learning this today made me realize the many things we take for granted. Building a 363-mile canal in the early 1800′s must have been quite an ordeal. I simply cannot imagine what life would be like if it hadn’t been built. Thanks to today’s lesson, I have a new appreciation for this important man-made, American waterway.
Read more on the Erie Canal website.
Learn more about GIS Software from ESRI here.
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One comment
Zach Dulli -NCGE on July 20, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Great Post. I learned so much today as well! I was also unaware that Philadelphia was the largest port in US prior to 1820 and that New York was not the largest city in the US until 1830.
Great time today!