Muskrats were notorious for digging their homes into the banks of the Original Erie Canal, but
the banks of the modern Barge Canal are so large that they aren't the threat they used to be.
(Photo by Bob Gress, Illinois Dept Natural Resources)



"Hurry-up" Boats

Leaks were common in especially the original canal, and repair boats like this were expected to get to the site  as quickly as they could, before the falling water level made it impossible for them to get there at all.

The 1974 bottom leak at Bushnell's Basin (southeast of Rochester).  A crew was excavating
under the canal to install a new sewer line.  This section near the culvert over the Irondequoit
Creek has been lined with Concrete - partly because the stretch is so prone to leaks, and partly
because it runs through a highly populated area.  Photograph courtesy Town of Perinton historian.