Chenango Canal: The Million Dollar Ditch

Chenango Canal: The Million Dollar Ditch chronicles the story of a central New York State canal and how it changed the region. In 1825, the Omnibus Canal Bill had called for a survey of a canal linking the Susquehanna River at Binghamton to the Erie Canal in Utica. The idea of a canal was well received in the Chenango Valley but was opposed by many outside it. After eight years of legislative battles, the canal was finally authorized in 1833 with a proposed million-dollar budget. Against seeming insurmountable odds, the 97-mile canal was completed in 1836. Touted as "the best built canal in New York State," the canal was never profitable for the state, but it did bring a measure of prosperity to the communities along its length, delivering cheap coal from Pennsylvania to emerging steam-powered factories.

• | Author: Wade Allen Lallier
• | Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Library Editions
• | Publication Date: Jun 26, 2017
• | Number of Pages: 130 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Hardcover/Architecture
• | ISBN-10: 1540216322
• | ISBN-13: 9781540216328