Lock #1 on the Oswego Canal and Movable Bridge in Phoenix, NY

(Satellite)

Erie Canal Museum posted four photos with the comment:

One of the most photographed boats in our collection: the canal steamboat City of Fulton!

Steam boats first began regular operation on the Erie Canal starting in the 1870s, though they were initially quite rare, though they gained in popularity as the 20th century approached. The City of Fulton appears to have operated in the early 20th century, primarily traveling the Oswego Canal, along which its namesake city is located. Most images we have of the boat show it traveling between Syracuse, the juncture of the Erie and Oswego Canals,  and Oswego itself, with a 1916 newspaper article also confirming that this was its regular route. That newspaper article, as well as these photos, indicate that the City of Fulton was primarily used for hauling freight rather than passengers, a frequent use for steam canal boats during this time period. 

These images are just small window into a unique time period in the Canal’s history, as well as into our collections here at the Erie Canal Museum. As we approach the bicentennial of the Erie Canal, we at the Museum hope to share more of the thousands of items contained in our archives and we invite you to help us share them by participating in our Bicentennial Research Project, where members of the public and scholars are encouraged to do scholarly research on the Erie Canal and submit papers. 

Our archives are open to support any would be research and you can learn more about the project here: https://eriecanalmuseum.org/bicentennial-research-project/

Jaimie Galayda: Would the steam powered boats and the mule towed boats get into traffic jams? I wonder how issues like that would get resolved. The steamboats probably moved faster I imagine?

Erie Canal Museum: Jaimie Galayda Great questions! The mules and steam powered boats were definitely in use at the same time and reportedly the mules were very scared of them. The canal was wide enough for two boats to pass each other, and since steamboats didn't have to drop a tow line, presumably they'd be able to pass the mule-driven boats. Still, the speed limit on the canal was 4 MPH so the steamboats wouldn't have been moving much faster than the mule-driven boats.

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Bob Walker: Prominent background building with smokestacks: Burhans & Black, Inc. dates back to 1874 when Henry Nehemiah Burhans’ sash, blind, and door company joined with Jerrold William Black’s hardware business to become Burhans, Black & Co.

Street View, Sep 2023

The movable bridge is interesting. I don't know what to call that design. An "overhead trunnion?"

Street View, Sep 2021

Street View, Sep 2023

I can't figure out what the dark grey things are for.

Street View, Sep 2021