Mohawk River & Wood Creek Canals

(Western Inland Lock Navigation Company)

Since the founding of Fort Orange in 1624, just south of what would become the city of Albany in 1664, the route from the Atlantic Ocean and New York City to Albany via the Hudson River and then to Lake Ontario was well known and traveled by fur traders and military units.   The route between the Hudson River and Lake Ontario was traveled by water along the Mohawk River, a 1-mile canoe land portage to Wood Creek, then from Wood Creek to Lake Oneida, which empties into the Oneida River, which enters the Oswego River, which flows to Lake Ontario.   From the the lake, fur trading goods, soldiers and supplies traveled west to the Niagara River and beyond, and north to Kingston, Montreal and Quebec.   Furs and soldiers traveled south along the Hudson River to New York, the Atlantic coast and Europe.   Over the years to 1791, many suggestions and petitions showed how this passage could be improved for larger Durham boats by dams, canals and canal locks.   Likewise, a water route from the Seneca River, which intersects the conjunction of the Oneida and Oswego Rivers, to Lake Seneca was advocated to facilitate transportation and settlement to western New York and Lake Erie was advocated in the 1780s and 1790s.   Finally, river improvements and canals between the Hudson River north to Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River to Montreal was advocated to facilitate trade between the state and Canada.

With the assiduous promotion of Alkanah Watson and Gen. Philip Schuyler, the first canal law in New York State was passed March 24, 1791, entitled " An act concerning roads and inland navigation."   This act contained the following clause: "And to be it further enacted . . . That the commissioners of the land office be and they hereby are authorized to cause to be explored, and the necessary survey made, of the ground situated between the Mohawk river, at or near Fort Stanwix, and the Wood creek, in the county of Herkimer and also between the Hudson river and the Wood creek in the county of Washington; and to cause an estimate to be made of the probable expense that will attend the making canals, sufficient for loaded boats to pass; and report the same to the Legislature at their next meeting."   £100 [$250] was appropriated for the expenses of this exploration.   During the recess of the Legislature, these surveys and estimates were made.   In September, 1791, Major Abraham Hardenburgh, assisted by Benjamin Wright, who was later very intimately connected with the building of the canals of the State and elsewhere, made the necessary surveys between the Mohawk river and Wood creek.   The line as laid out was very nearly that on which the canal was afterwards built.   The whole expense of the surveys was only 3/5 of the amount appropriated. Whitford

Through the influence of General Philip Schuyler, a bill drawn by him passed both Houses on March 24 and the council of revision on March 30, 1792.   This law, entitled "An act for establishing and opening lock navigations within this State," incorporated two companies, – the Western and the Northern Inland Lock Navigation Companies - for the purpose of the Western Company as that "of opening a lock navigation from the now navigable part of Hudson’s river to be extended to Lake Ontario, and to the Seneca lake," and the other company "for the like purpose, from the now navigable part of Hudson’s river to Lake Champlain."   The canals were to be of a size for the passage of boats forty feet long, twenty feet wide, and drawing, when loaded, two feet of water.   The act provided for the opening of books for taking subscriptions, no person to be allowed to subscribe for more than ten shares, and the sum of $25 per share to be paid at the time of subscribing.   The number of shares was limited to 1,000, but as the work progressed, more money could be raised by assessing the old subscribers, or obtaining new ones.   The act further provided for the gift by the State of 25,000, half to each company after it had expended $25,000.   It limited the rate of toll to $25 per ton from the Hudson to Seneca lake or Lake Ontario, and to $25 per ton from the Hudson to Lake Champlain. Whitford

Wealthy merchants, bankers and landholders backed the canal, the Holland Land Company, Robert Troup, agent for the Pulteney estate, LeRoy, Bayard & Co., Samuel Ward, Melancton Smith, and Daniel McCormick.   In all, 743 stock shares were sold and 240 forfeited for delinquent payments.   Upon completion, the cost of transportation from Albany to Lake Seneca was reduced from $100 to $32 per ton, and from Albany to Niagara by half.   Inexperience, labor and supply shortages, lack of suitable limestone for mortar, and inability to obtain a qualified chief engineer resulted in delays, mistakes and mispent funds.   Only in 1795 was the British engineer, William Weston, engaged on the Skuylkill & Susquehanna Canal in Pennsylvania, was able to offer part-time advice.   The first 3% dividend was paid in 1798, and the next one came in 1813.   In 1803, company revenue were $10,000 and expenses exceeded $400,000   When the state acquired the company in 1820, shareholders had just about broken even.   No improvements were made west of Lake Oneida nor at the Cohoes Falls where the Mohawk emptied into the Hudson.   On the bright side, men like Clinton, Watson, Troup, Eddy, Benjamin and Stephen Van Rensselar, Gouverneur Morris, Benjamin Wright, Gideon Granger, Jonas Platt, Simeon De Witt, and others acquired knowledge that enabled them to complete the Erie and other American canals. Shaw 16-20

In the summer and fall of 1792, surveys were made along both the western and northern routes.   During the following spring, work was begun at Little Falls.   To quote the language of the directors: "The work was accordingly commenced in April 1793, with nearly three hundred laborers, besides a competent number of artificers, but its progress was arrested early in September, for want of funds, many of the stockholders having neglected to pay the requisition made by the Directors, either because they had not the means to supply such advances, or from an apprehension of the impracticability of succeeding in the operation. – January, 1794, the work was, however, recommenced, although feebly, and some progress made, in hopes that the Legislature would afford aid, by grants; or loans of money, or by taking the unsubscribed shares.   Accordingly, the Legislature . . . directed a subscription, on the part of the people of the State, of two hundred shares to each company; this measure was attended with the most salutary effects.   The hopes and confidence of the companies were revived and the work recommenced in May last, with a correspondent degree of alacrity; . . . it was the 17th of November before the Canal and Locks were so far completed, as to afford a passage to boats." Whitford

Describing the Little Falls canal, they said: " . . . its length is 4752 feet, . . . the aggregate fall is 44 feet 7 inches.   Five locks having each nearly 9 feet lift are placed towards the lower end of the Canal, and the pits, in which they are placed, have been excavated out of solid rock, of the hardest kind; the chamber of each lock is an area of 74 feet by 12 feet in the cleave, and boats drawing three feet and an half of water may enter at all times; the depth of water in all the extent of the Canal beyond the locks is various, but not less than 3 feet in any place; near the upper end of the Canal a guard lock is placed without lift, to prevent a redundancy of water; . . . about 2550 feet of the Canal is cut through solid rock." Whitford

In the summer of 1793, Wood creek, the stream which flows into Oneida lake, was cleared of fallen timber and straightened to the extent of shortening its length more than seven miles.   In 1793, the Northern Company began a canal near Stillwater intending to extend it to Waterford, but work was stopped for lack of funds.   A contract was also made for constructing a canal to open the navigation of the northern Wood creek with Lake Champlain, and in 1794 this creek was partially cleared of fallen timber. Whitford

Previous to 1795, the directors had worked without the services of an engineer, but in May of that year they employed Mr. William Weston, an English engineer, to superintend the work at Little Falls, and to examine the whole line of proposed improvements.   He estimated the cost of providing navigation from the western extremity of Cayuga lake to the Hudson river at Troy, for "boats of twenty tons, and upwards," at £189,497 [$473,743], the total length being three hundred and two miles.   This did not include the work at Little Falls, which had been completed.   An alternate route to join the Hudson at Waterford was estimated at £192,769 [$481,923], with a distance of 299 miles. Whitford

The aid from the State was granted on March 31, 1795, when the Legislature passed an act directing the State Treasurer to subscribe to 200 shares to the stock of each company.   This was in answer to a petition from the directors representing that only 743 shares had been subscribed to the Western Company, and 676 to the Northern Company, and of these about 240 in each company had been forfeited by reason of the subscribers not paying the required amounts.   It became evident that the proposed improvements were too onerous for the companies to prosecute unaided, and the Legislature, from time to time, granted appropriations and loans.   An act of April 1, 1796, offered aid in extending the improvements down the Hudson to Albany.   This act provided that the directors of the Northern Company should employ an able engineer to examine the river from Albany to the mouth of a creek north of Troy, called Meadow creek, to determine the practicability of improving the channel so as to obtain navigation for boats of 6 feet draft, and to estimate the cost of this work.   If the cost did not exceed £4,000 [$10,000] and if £1,000 [$2,500] were raised by voluntary contribution, then the State Treasurer was authorized to pay to the company £3,000 [$7,500].   The act further provided for the payment of £1,500 [$3,750] for improving the river from Meadow creek to Mill Creek, the point where the Northern Company was to begin operations, if the engineer’s estimate of cost did not exceed £2,000 [$5,000] and provided that £500 [$1,250] were raised by contribution. Whitford

By the act of April 11, 1796, the State loaned £15,000 [$37,500] to the Western Company, taking a mortgage on the canal and locks at Little Falls.   By the act of March 17, 1797, the sum of £3,000 [$7,500] was appropriated for the work of improving the Hudson to Albany, contemplated by the act of April 1, 1796.   William Weston, the engineer employed to prepare the plans, estimated that the cost would exceed £4,000 [$10,000], but the Legislature appropriated the amount promised by the former act, upon condition that the deficiency be raised by contribution.   The act further specified that the work should be done according to the plans of the engineer, which called for a double row of piles with side stringers and ties, and stone filling.   In after years various schemes were tried, but finally a plan similar to this first method has been adopted as best, – to confine the river between parallel dykes - so that the current will keep the channel open. On March 17, 1797, was passed another act which provided for the borrowing of $250,000 by the Western Company. Whitford

With General Philip Schuyler as president, the private Western Inland Lock Navigation Company began initial excavation and construction to improve navigation for bateau the length of the Mohawk River and Wood Creek to accommodate Durham boats.   By 1793, enough capital had been raised to make the adjustments needed to float riverboats over the Wood Creek rapids, and to eliminate its major turns.   Sediments, including rock, cobble, gravel and sand, poured into the Mohawk River from tributary streams during highwater periods, creating bars near the mouths of streams, and the rapids farther downstream.   Many of these deposits served as river crossings, but they were obstacles to navigation.   The WILNC adjusted these obstacles by removing rocks, cutting deeper channels and building modified eel weir dams.   Although Wood Creek is only 1 mile from the Mohawk River, it's in a completely different watershed.   It flows south to Rome and west towards Oneida Lake, inloke the Mohawk that flows south and east to the Hudson River.   Its many twists and turns through swamp and wetland forest, with fallen trees at practically every turn, made travel difficult.   When the WILNC built the Rome Canal to bypass the Great Carry (the 1 mile portage), it created the missing link in the water-route between the Mohawk Valley and Lake Ontario.   In 1793, the WILNC cleared trees, logs and other debris from the creek, and cut 13 short canals across the necks of loops to shorten and straighten the water route between Rome and Oneida Lake.   A major obstacle on the Mohawk River was the mile-long series of rapids and falls at Little Falls.   Durham Boats were too big to cart around the falls, so in 1795 the WILNC built a mile-long canal with five wooden lift locks, one guard lock and a dam on the north side of the river.   The wooden locks didn't last long and were subsequently rebuilt with stone in 1803.   (Remnants of the stone guard lock are still visible today (1), (2), (3) near the entrance to the business park at the east end of the village.)   In 1797 the Great Carry at Rome was bypassed with a 1.7-mile canal that featured two brick locks, a feeder canal and two dams.   This canal completed the water route from the Mohawk River to Wood Creek.   Although Durham Boats could negotiate most of the rapids between Little Falls and Rome, there were two rapids downstream from the mouth of West Canada Creek that were troublesome and even dangerous.   In 1798, The WILNC cut a 1.1-mile canal to bypass the rapids, and built a lift lock at the lower end and a guard lock at the upper end.   Two lock were built in 1798 at Wolf Rift at German Flats.   (Remnants of this German Flats Canal and the stone lift lock were discovered on Lock 18 Island in the 1980s.)   By 1798, the WILNC had adjusted the Mohawk River to accommodate Durham Boats.   The 60-foot Durham Boats were not carried to the Mohawk from other rivers.   Most of them were made in Schenectady where a boat building industry developed as a direct result of WILNC work on the river.   By the 1800s, the big boats on the river were called Schenectady Boats.   Despite previous efforts to make Wood Creek more navigable, these Schenectady Boats had great difficulty getting through the shallow waters of Wood Creek, especially during low water periods.   To alleviate this problem, the WILNC built 4 wooden lift locks, dams and sluices between Rome and the mouth of Canada Creek.   (The remnants of these wooden locks, built in 1803, were discovered under the muck of Wood Creek swamp in the 1990s.)   The Wood Creek locks were one of the last construction projects undertaken by the WILNC.   Although the company survived with state help until 1820, when the state acquired it, its waning years were devoted to trying to maintain the "adjustments" made in the first 10 years.   Despite its eventual demise due to lack of funds, there is no doubt that the WILNC demonstrated the feasibility navigation in the Mohawk Valley.   It paved the way for the creation of the Erie Canal.Paul   The western half of this canal served as a feeder to the Erie Canal until disbanded when the Barge Canal was built.   It was more evidence that modifying natural waterways did not eliminate the problems associated with varying water levels and natural obstacles.   Canals did.   Thus, was confirmed the method used on the most famous US canal, the Erie