Source: Washington Post
by George F Will
“Americans’ pockets hold digital devices delivering oceans of information and distractions. But another technology that dramatically shaped the nation’s life, and had revolutionary consequences abroad, was a ditch. Raise a glass as the 200th birthday of the Erie Canal is celebrated on Sunday. Its 363 miles — the longest previous U.S. canal extended 27 miles — were dug by human muscle in the service of improvised cleverness. … Soon it was carrying twice the value of goods floating down the Mississippi to New Orleans. Horses or mules that could pull a wagon weighing two tons could, walking on the canal’s towpath, pull a barge weighing 50 tons. … By 1850, the price of a wall clock had plunged from $60 dollars to $3.” (10/22/25)