Champlain Canal

The Champlain Canal is a Template:Convert canal in New York that connects the Hudson River to the south end of Lake Champlain. It was simultaneously constructed with the Erie Canal for use by commercial vessels, fully opening in 1823. Today, it is mostly used by recreational boaters as part of the New York State Canal System and Lakes to Locks Passage.

Water for the highest portion comes from the Hudson River via the Glens Falls Feeder Canal, from above the drop at Glens Falls, New York.

History

An early proposal made in the 1790s by Marc Isambard Brunel for a Hudson River–Lake Champlain canal was not approved. Another proposal for the canal was made in 1812 and construction authorized in 1817. By 1818, Template:Convert were completed, and in 1819 the canal was opened from Fort Edward to Lake Champlain. The canal was officially opened on September 10, 1823. It was an immediate financial success, and carried substantial commercial traffic until the 1970s.

In 1903, New York authorized the expansion of the Champlain Canal—along with the Erie, Oswego, and Cayuga–Seneca Canals—into the "New York State Barge Canal." The project broke ground in 1905 and was completed in 1918. The "Barge Canal" name fell out of use in 1992.

The abandoned Lake Champlain Seaway proposal would have upgraded the Champlain Canal into a ship canal, easing marine transport between New York City and Montreal.

File:Mechanicville, N.Y. LOC 75694795.tif

Perspective map of Mechanicville from the late 19th century by L.R. Burleigh showing the Champlain Canal and Hudson River

Route

File:Champlain Canal 1980s.jpg

Tug and barge on the Champlain Canal during the 1980s

The Champlain Canal's southern end is about Template:Convert north of the locks at the Troy Federal Dam, at the point where the Erie Canal splits from the Hudson River. The Hudson River is designated as part of the canal proceeding north for approximately Template:Convert, with six locks providing navigation around dams, until it reaches lock C-7 in Fort Edward, New York. At this point, the canal diverges from the river and follows a constructed channel for approximately Template:Convert, with five additional locks, bringing the canal to the southern end of Lake Champlain at Whitehall, New York.

The elevation on the Hudson River portion increases from Template:Convert above sea level at the southern end, on the northern end of the locks at the Troy Federal Dam, to about Template:Convert above sea level at lock C-7, where the canal leaves the Hudson River. The elevation of the constructed portion reaches a peak of Template:Convert above sea level between locks C-9 and C-11, then declines to the level of Lake Champlain, between Template:Convert above sea level, at Whitehall. By traveling the length of Lake Champlain, boaters can access the Richelieu River and Chambly Canal, which connect Lake Champlain to the Saint Lawrence River.

Locks

File:ChamplainCanal-1845.JPG

Second-generation water supply locks known as "The Combines". They supply water from the Hudson River to the Champlain Canal via the Glens Falls Feeder Canal running from Glens Falls to Fort Edward. They were formerly also utilized as secondary locks to navigate from Glen's Falls to the Champlain Canal.

The following list of locks is provided for the current canal, from south to north. There are a total of 11 locks on the Champlain Canal.

All locks on the New York State Canal System are single-chamber; the dimensions are Template:Convert long and Template:Convert wide with a minimum Template:Convert depth of water over the miter sills at the upstream gates upon lift. They can accommodate a vessel up to Template:Convert long and Template:Convert wide. Overall sidewall height will vary by lock, ranging between Template:Convert depending on the lift and navigable stages.

There is no Lock C10 on the Champlain Canal. The Troy Federal Lock, located just north of Troy, New York, is not part of the New York State Canal System proper; it is operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The Champlain Canal officially begins at the confluence of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers at Waterford, New York.

Distance is based on position markers from an interactive canal map provided online by the New York State Canal Corporation and may not exactly match specifications on signs posted along the canal. Mean surface elevations are comprised from a combination of older canal profiles and history books as well as specifications on signs posted along the canal. The margin of error should normally be within Template:Convert.

Lock No.	Location	Elevation (upstream/north)	Elevation (downstream/south)	Lift or Drop	Distance to Next Lock (upstream/north)	HAER No.
Troy Federal Lock *	Troy	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	C1, Template:Convert
C1	Waterford	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	C2, Template:Convert	Template:HAER
C2	Halfmoon	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	C3, Template:Convert	Template:HAER
C3	Mechanicville	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	C4, Template:Convert	Template:HAER
C4	Stillwater	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	C5, Template:Convert	Template:HAER
C5	Northumberland	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	C6, Template:Convert	Template:HAER
C6	Fort Miller	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	C7, Template:Convert	Template:HAER
C7	Fort Edward	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	C8, Template:Convert	Template:HAER
C8	Fort Edward	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	C9, Template:Convert	Template:HAER
C9	Smiths Basin	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	C11, Template:Convert	Template:HAER
C11	Comstock	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	C12, Template:Convert	Template:HAER
C12	Whitehall	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Lake Champlain	Template:HAER

All surface elevations are approximate.

* Denotes Federal managed locks.

Lake Champlain has a mean surface elevation ranging between Template:Convert.

External links

• Information and Boater's Guide to the New York State Canal System
• History of the Canal System of the State of New York—Champlain Canal
• New York State Canals—Map of the Champlain Canal
• Template:Usurped
• Historic Glens Falls Feeder Canal
• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. NY-6121, "Champlain and Hudson Canal"
• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documentation:
  • Template:HAER
  • Template:HAER (replaced)
  • Template:HAER
  • Template:HAER