Erie Canal Oneida Feeder and Oneida Canals

Old Feeder Joins Erie: (Satellite) 

New Feeder Joins Erie: (Satellite) The Oneida creek Aqueduct is just a little east of here.

Marker: (Satellite)

Erie Canal Overview

1895/95 Oneida Quad @ 62,000

Yvonne Wall posted 21 images with the comment: "Oneida Feeder Canal, Saturday and then I add in my collections."

[See hmdb for more information on this marker. Specifically, the location of the marker is 43°05'33.1"N 75°39'01.0"W.]

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Images 2-8 are closeups of the above image.

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The devil is in the details. I have some bones to pick with the historical marker. 

First of all, the text says "to a dock north of Elm Street, which I agree with." That is, the canal was not down by the marker's location, which is a few blocks south of Elm Street.

Second of all, the feeder canal would have ended at the Erie Canal a little west of the Oneida Creek Aqueduct at Durhamville, NY. The short canal from the Erie Canal to Oneida would be a branch canal to deliver cargo to downtown Oneida. Technically, it is the Oneida Canal. 

Third of all, I think the houses with bridges were on the west side of Main Street, not the east side. In this closeup of the topo map, we see a gap between the houses on the west side of Main Street, but there is no gap on the east side. Also, note that there are houses on the south side of Elm Street where the canal would have been if it went south to the historical marker area.

Digitally Zoomed.

I repeat Yvonne's last photo because it states that it is looking "up state." Every usage I've seen of "up state" in New York means we are looking North. If we are looking North, then the houses are west of Main Street.

Image 21

Fourth of all, I don't think any of the images with a curve in the canal are of the Oneida Feeder Canal nor the Oneida Canal. For example, this image claims to be at Main and Elizabeth Streets. But those two streets don't intersect. And Elizabeth Street is south of Elm Street, which is where I think the canal ended.

Image 13

Here is a closeup of the topo map that includes Elizabeth Street.

Digitally Zoomed

To summarize, blue is the original Oneida Feeder Canal, Red is the newer Oneida Feeder Canal and yellow is the Oneida Canal.

Satellite plus Paint

Some of the second Oneida Feeder Canal has yet to be filled in. And much of the path back to the lake can be traced through the trees.

Satellite

Here is another wet part.

Satellite