Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago

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The NYS Barge Canal System, completed in 1918, was an expansion on the previous 19th century-era Erie Canal and connecting feeders. The canal was widened to accommodate barge traffic and changed the original route in some places. It also canalized existing bodies of water, including the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. This created an easy transport route across the state, but also made an easier route for invasive species to traverse from the Great Lakes into other bodies of water.

Learn more about Reflections on the Erie Canal at wmht.org/ErieCanal

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