The Crooked Lake Canal was a
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...
in western
New York
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* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
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* ...
, United States. Built from 1830-1833, the canal linked two
Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York (state), New York, in the United States. This region straddles th ...
:
Keuka and
Seneca.
The name refers to the unusual shape of Keuka Lake, which was formerly called "Crooked Lake". The Keuka Outlet Trail now follows much of the route of the former canal.
History
Encouraged by local farmers and businessmen who expected returns from a canal linking the two lakes, the state authorized a canal survey in this area in 1828. It authorized construction in 1829. From 1830 to 1833, the canal and its locks were built along the
Keuka Lake Outlet, a natural stream connecting the two lakes.
[ The Crooked Lake Canal ran under 8 miles between ]Dresden
Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
on the west shore of Seneca Lake and Penn Yan at the northeast end of Keuka Lake, through a system of twenty-eight locks. By contrast, the entire Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...
(360 miles) had 90 locks at this time. The drop between Keuka Lake and Seneca Lake was a steep 270 feet. The final cost was $157,000.
The canal opened in 1833 and immediately spurred economic growth in the region. It soon had to compete with newly constructed railroads though, which could offer faster service. Mill owners along the outlet stream had complaints about a lack of water throughout the operation of the canal. The original wooden locks soon rotted and were due for replacement with stone, at a cost of over $107,000.
After years of unprofitability, the waterway was officially abandoned in 1877. Its holdings were taken over by railroads and the rail line built along the canal became part of the New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...
. In 1972, the rail line was destroyed in flooding and related damage from Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes was the List of costliest Atlantic hurricanes, costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, ...
. [
]
See also
* Crooked Lake Outlet Historic District
* List of canals in New York
* List of rail trails in New York
This list of rail trails in New York lists former railroad rights-of-way in New York that have been converted to rail trails for public use. Many of these rail trails are also part of the statewide Empire State Trail network, which officially o ...
References
External links
Crooked Lake Canal
History, University of Rochester
* eastern end
* {{coord, 42.656312, -77.060587, display=inline western end
Canals in New York (state)
Tourist attractions in Yates County, New York
Canals opened in 1833
1833 establishments in New York (state)