You are a farmer. The Erie Canal was built through the middle of your largest field. To make it easier to reach your field on the other side of the canal, you build a bridge. Now you can get to your field again and make money by charging a toll for people to use your bridge! How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You are a merchant who receives wheat from the Great Lakes region and then ships it to Europe. In the last eight years, the amount of wheat going east has grown from 4,000 to 500,000 bushels per year. Business is very good. How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You share the canal boat with many other passengers. It is crowded, but you know the journey would take MUCH longer if you traveled by land in a horse-drawn wagon. How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You have decided to sell some of your land to people who want to settle near the Erie Canal. Your land has excellent soil for growing grains or fruit trees. Your asking price is a reasonable $5.00 per acre. You have sold 20 acres of land so far, and hope to sell much more! How would you categorize this effect of the canal? Pick the BEST option.

You are a merchant in Syracuse, NY. You ship salt (used to cure meat) on the Erie Canal. Syracuse has become a large industrial center. The new industry has polluted many nearby lakes, but profits are up. How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

Your trip will be long and boring. You will reach Lake Erie after 363 miles and 83 days. Thousands of boats and barges use the Erie Canal each year. A huge workforce of men and draft animals work on the canal. How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

The Erie Canal has a smaller feeder canal. When the feeder canal freezes, the main road into town floods. Residents of your town want the state of New York to pay for moving the feeder canal to a different location. How would you categorize this effect of the canal? Pick the BEST option.

To pass the time during your journey, you often play games such as cards with others on the boat. When the boat stops at a town along the canal, you sometimes go ashore for a visit. Today, you plan to go fishing. How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You are an Irishman who helped to build the Erie Canal. It was very difficult work, digging through rock and dirt with picks and shovels. Sometimes you dig through solid rock or have to cut down trees (without permission). You quit this job after one month, then settle in one of the lock towns. How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You live in New York City. The Erie Canal has brought lots of merchandise and many jobs to the city. The money you make in your new job has improved your family’s standard of living. You are able to buy manufactured goods from local stores. Your wife can even afford a new set of china! How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You become ill with Cholera. You and your family are left at the nearest town while you recover. Your family is worried about you and afraid they may also get sick. You regain your health and the whole family is safe. How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You are one of the people who dreamed of building the Erie Canal. In 1817, the New York legislature approved the money (over $7 million) to build the canal. The toll money that will be collected should cover the canal’s construction costs within 10 years. After that, everything else will be profit! How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

Your own a paper mill in Schenectady, NY. Your company uses timber from forest land it owns in Michigan. Business is good, with printers placing more orders every day. People want more books and newspapers than ever before! How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You see many barges full of wheat, barley, corn, salt, pork, and other goods moving east. Barges full of manufactured goods of all types are moving west. Mules or horses tow the barges through the canal. How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You are the mayor of a lock town. You are very afraid of the cholera epidemic that is spreading through towns along the Erie Canal. When people get sick they lose money because they can’t work. Thousands of people have already died, including 125 people in your town alone! How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You own a Boston-area textile mill that makes cotton fabric. The finished fabric is sent to New York City, then shipped west via the Erie Canal to cities in the Great Lakes region. Profits are up over 50% since the canal opened! How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You find your neighbors at Lockport, New York, and celebrate your future in the Northwest Territory. Your neighbors, however, have decided to settle on land in the Lockport area, close to the Erie Canal. How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You are a member of the Seneca Indian tribe. Parts of the Erie Canal pass through Seneca lands. When the state of New York began planning for the canal, it made some questionable land deals with your tribe. As a result, your people lost many, many acres of their land. They also lost respect for the government. How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You just settled near Buffalo, NY, and started a small farm. When you started shipping extra produce through the Erie Canal, your farm became more of a business. The extra money you now earn allows you to buy many new manufactured goods. How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

The port towns are filled with the families of the men who helped to build the Erie Canal. Many businesses in town also provide services for the people traveling on the Erie Canal. How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You are the wife of a local farmer. You do not like the idea of strangers passing through your peaceful town. You are afraid of thieves or other undesirable people who might come here. You also fear diseases that strangers might bring. You heard that Rochester is having a cholera outbreak! How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You own a company that makes steam engines. The business cost $4,300 to start, but it is growing fast! People need your steam engines to run everything from cotton mills to farm equipment. The Industrial Age is certainly good for your business! How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

Your trip is going quickly. In fact, it is much faster than traveling by land. So many people are moving west that you think it will be important to America’s future...and yours! How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

You are a hog farmer. You feed your hogs grain that was shipped through the Erie Canal from the Great Lakes region. After you salt-cure your butchered meat (for preservation) you ship it both east and west on the canal. Business is good! How would you categorize this effect of the canal?

What effect did the Erie Canal had on the growth of New York City?