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 flo ...

in western New York, 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 south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York, in the United States. This region straddles the northern and transitional ...

: Keuka and

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

lakes. 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 Keuka Lake Outlet is a river located in Yates County, New York. It drains Keuka Lake and flows into Seneca Lake by Dresden, New York. The Crooked Lake Canal The Crooked Lake Canal was a canal in western New York, United States. Built from 183 ...

, a natural stream connecting the two lakes. The Crooked Lake Canal ran under 8 miles between

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

on the west shore of Seneca Lake and Penn Yan at the northeast end of Keuka Lake, through a system of twenty-eight

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

. By contrast, the entire Erie Canal (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 and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mid ...

. In 1972, the rail line was destroyed in flooding and related damage from

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes in 1972 was the 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, from the Caribbean to Canada, ...

. Later, the canal right-of-way was purchased for recreational use. The former route of the canal is partly marked as the modern 6.7 mile Keuka Outlet Trail for hiking and biking.

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)

History

See also

References

External links