The Myth-Busting Economist by Larry Malone

Low Bridge, Ev'rybody Down...

When I started writing this column, my objective was to bust myths about the economy. In a world fraught with disinformation and lies, it’s important to set the record straight. As was the case in my previous column that celebrated small businesses and their owners, I’ll detour in this one to commend an important American bicentennial that arrives in a few weeks.

The Erie Canal was completed on October 26, 1825. It was 363 miles long and connected the Hudson River to Lake Erie. Just 4 feet deep and 40 feet wide, it opened the American West to migration and trade and was the first step in making New York “The Empire State.”

To get from Albany to Buffalo, the original canal needed 83 locks to lift early pack boats 565 feet in total elevation. Each lock was 90 feet long and 12 feet wide. Five of those locks were in Lockport, New York, where 60 feet of elevation had to be conquered to continue the path westward. The second largest hurdle was closer to our region, in Little Falls, where four locks were needed to surmount a 40 feet rise in elevation.