On This Day

Erie Canal between Hudson River & Lake Erie opens

The Miami and Erie Canal was a 274-mile (441 km) canal that ran from Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie.

The Miami and Erie Canal was a 274-mile (441 km) canal that ran from Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845 at a cost to the state government of $8 million ($276 million in 2025). At its peak, it included 19 aqueducts, three guard locks, 103 canal locks, multiple feeder canals, and a few man-made water reservoirs. The canal climbed 395 feet (120 m) above Lake Erie and 513 feet (156 m) above the Ohio River to reach a topographical peak called the Loramie Summit, which extended 19 miles (31 km) between New Bremen, Ohio to lock 1-S in Lockington, north of Piqua, Ohio.

Historical Significance

The Miami and Erie Canal was a 274-mile (441 km) canal that ran from Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie.

Events Before

  1. Simón Bolívar is named dictator by the Congress of Peru

    Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar Palacios Ponte y Blanco (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military officer and statesman who led what are currently the countries…

  2. Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th (Choral) Symphony, often regarded as his greatest work, with libretto by poet Friedrich von S

    Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th (Choral) Symphony, often regarded as his greatest work, with libretto by poet Friedrich von Schiller, premieres at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna, Austria [1]

  3. Inventor Charles Goodyear (23) weds Clarissa Beecher

    Inventor Charles Goodyear (23) weds Clarissa Beecher

  4. US Navy flag officer David Farragut (23) weds Susan Caroline Marchant

    US Navy flag officer David Farragut (23) weds Susan Caroline Marchant

  5. Salt Lake City founder Brigham Young (23) weds first wife Miriam Angeline Works (18) in Port Byron, New York

    Salt Lake City founder Brigham Young (23) weds first wife Miriam Angeline Works (18) in Port Byron, New York

Events After

  1. Godert van der Capellen resigns as Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies

    Godert van der Capellen resigns as Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies

  2. Future US President Millard Fillmore (26) weds Abigail Powers (27)

    Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853.

  3. The Menai Suspension Bridge connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the northwest coast of Wales opens, considered the world'

    The Menai Suspension Bridge connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the northwest coast of Wales opens, considered the world's first modern suspension bridge

  4. University College London founded; known until 1836 as London University

    University College London (UCL) was founded on 11 February 1826, under the name London University, as a secular alternative to the strictly religious universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

  5. American Temperance Society forms in Boston

    American Temperance Society forms in Boston

More from the 1820s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on October 26, 1825?
The Miami and Erie Canal was a 274-mile (441 km) canal that ran from Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845 at a cost to the state government of $8 million ($276 million in 2025). At its peak, it included 19 aqueducts, three guard locks, 103 canal locks, multiple feeder canals, and a few man-made water reservoirs.
Why is Erie Canal between Hudson River & Lake Erie opens significant?
The Miami and Erie Canal was a 274-mile (441 km) canal that ran from Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie.

Explore More