If you visit the Erie Canal today, you’ll find a tranquil waterway and trail that pass through charming towns and forests, a place where hikers, cyclists, kayakers, bird-watchers, and other visitors seek to enjoy nature and escape the pressures of modern life.

However, relaxation and scenic beauty had nothing to do with the origins of this waterway.

When the Erie Canal opened 200 years ago, on Oct. 26, 1825, the route was dotted with decaying trees left by construction that had cut through more than 360 miles of forests and fields, and life quickly sped up.

Mules on the towpath along the canal could pull a heavy barge at a clip of 4 miles per hour—far faster than the job of dragging wagons over primitive roads. Boats rushed goods and people between the Great Lakes heartland and the port

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