'The Erie Canal: A Story of Building the Impossible' Webinar

“[The Erie Canal] is a splendid project and may be executed a century hence, but it is little short of madness to think of it at this day” President Thomas Jefferson, 1809

Once completed in 1825, the Erie Canal between Buffalo and Albany not only opened up the first viable shipping route between the Midwest and Northeast, but also launched America — especially New York City and New York State — to unimaginable economic and social heights. But how was one of the country's greatest engineering feats of the 19th century created at a time when the nation lacked a single certified civil engineer? This is the incredible story of how one visionary New York politician, two lawyers with novice surveyor skills, and thousands of unskilled laborers constructed one of the greatest modern marvels in this nation's history.

Join New York Adventure Club as we explore the saga and lasting legacy of the Erie Canal — officially opened in 1825, this 363 mile-long canal traversing a mountain range allowed the Northeast and Midwest United States to affordably exchange goods for the first time, which catapulted the economies of both regions for generations to come.

Led by storyteller and author Sandy Schuman, our virtual deep dive into the shallow waters of the Erie Canal — which recently marked its 200th anniversary — will include:

• Where the idea for the canal came from, why it was needed, and the reasons New York was uniquely suited for its location
• How ominous construction challenges were overcome by a group of untrained engineers and workers, from clearing trees along the entire route to building the 60-foot high "Flight of Five" locks in Lockport, NY
• New York politician DeWitt Clinton's key role in the canal's construction and completion
• The canal's socioeconomic impact on New York City, upstate cities and towns, and the Midwest
• A look at the canal's enlargement, replacement, demise, and resurrection over the past two centuries

Afterward, we'll have a Q&A with Sandy — any and all questions about the Erie Canal are welcomed and encouraged!

Can't make it live? Don't worry, you'll have access to the full replay for one week.

See you there, virtually!

*Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join this webinar

**For the best possible viewing experience, please ensure you're using the latest version of your internet browser

***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week

****If the event has already passed, but it's been less than a week, you can still register for it on our website's active replay section!

About Sandy

Sandy Schuman tells "New York Tales, Tall & True," stories about New York's history, folklore, and songwriters. Fascinated by familiar things and their unfamiliar stories, he brings amazing historical tales to life (“some of our folklore is truly unbelievable, some of our history is even more so”) and reveals the little-known stories behind some of our best- known songs. He plays his theme song on a Jew’s harp. When you hear him play the guitar, you’ll know why he calls himself a storyteller.

http://www.ny-tales.com

Testimonials

"Well organized, used graphs and many great visuals. TOP NOTCH!!!!" -Jane

"Sandy has a wealth of knowledge and presented it in an interesting way. I particularly enjoying singing the Erie Canal song with him. I sang it myself in music class when I was a child, growing up in New Jersey, and it was one of my favorites. I am glad to learn so much more behind that song." -Nancy

"Very organized presentation with extremely well informed speaker Great photos and videos Enjoyed song at the end." -Renata

"Very informative, good visuals, covered many aspect of the canal." -Jane

"I loved the information about the song, the history of the canal, and the information about what is still available to see." -Cindy

"The presenter was wonderful, clear, interesting, his presentation was informative." -Kathryn

"Presenters depth of knowledge of the subject and enthusiasm." -Bill

"The examination and explanation of the Canal was excellent and thorough." -Kenneth

"The knowledge of the presenter and all the reasons for the canal and history plus politics around it." -Mary

"Presenter was interesting speaker and very knowledgeable." -Betsy

"Very interesting information presented in an entertaining and very professional manner." -Philip

"I liked the narrative, the photos, the videos……everything!" -Linda

"Speaker knew an amazing amount of information on his topic, he was an especially good presenter of that information, and he had great illustrations which he explained really well." -Janet

"Very interesting facts abut he it was conceived and built" -Joel

"Very thorough and I was amazed at the impact the canal had on America. My teachers were clearly not as interested in this fact or didn't know. I want to thank everyone for presenting some of the Native American aspects to the canal. As a Native from Indiana, we often feel like we never existed and are simply pushed aside in so many historical narratives." -Ann

"Balanced coverage of historical, technological and cultural aspects of the development of the canal from the original concept to today." -Karen

"Fascinating, very well organized, professionally presented" -Tom

"Lots of in-depth material" -Manuel

"Good graphics, knowledge of presenter, enthusiastic" -Barrett

" Everything. Presenter was very knowledgeable and easy to understand." -Becky

" The information and pictures plus the song the presenter sang" -Sharon

" His in-depth knowledge, current photos & entertaining music!!" -Ameila

" Very well organized presentation with good presentation visuals" -Leon

" Very knowledgeable & engaging presenter" -Ellen

"Lots of really good and interesting information presented well" -Robin

" Presenter's depth of knowledge and congenial attitude." -Claudia

" The information was very engaging" -Jim

"A lot of research went into this presentation and I appreciated the amount of detail." -Guest.

"I loved the historical background, about which I knew very little. Sandy obviously has a passion for the Erie Canal and has done a lot of person research beyond his reading. This may say a lot about me, but I was totally sucked-in to the movie clips from "The Farmer Takes a Wife" (though the title mystifies me immensely given the clips we saw) and the song about Sal at the end. The two of them took me back to the time I about 12 years old in 1962 when the first read book I remember reading was about a girl my age who grew-up with a family on the Erie Canal. I can't remember much about the book except that I though then that it would have been an adventurous life. The session this afternoon brought that same sensation back to me again. Though my life experience since then causes me to realize not all was a bed of roses! Much thanks to NY Adventure Club and Sandy for the session." -Guest

"The presenter was knowledgeable and very interesting. Loved signing the song at the end of program! Learned a lot!" -Lorraine

"Lots of variety in media and information. 1st time a presenter has sung!" -Goldie

"The presenter was chock full of great history. nice acknowledgement to indiginous people; as great as the canal was, it paved the way and expedited the process of wiping out and expelling them from their land and having the Euros take over. What price progress???" -Joel

"Fascinating info provided clearly." -Barbara

"Good presentation about the "times", purpose and importance of the Canal" -Leon

"It was awesome. I learned a lot about the Erie Canal. Presentation was spot on." -Sandy

Disclaimer

By attending a New York Adventure Club experience, you accept our terms of service.

Categories: Virtual, Landmarks