304Z Fall 2025 The Erie Canal

When the notion of connecting the Atlantic to the Great Lakes was first raised and when the first surveys for a route were conducted, there was not a single professional civil engineer in the entire United States. Western New York State was considered “The Frontier” and Ohio “The West.” This course follows the story of the canal from conception to completion. Like the canal itself, this story does not proceed in a straight line. It did not happen all at once and did not end in anything like the manner its origins suggested. But much of what happened in the years after its completion in 1825, from Abolitionism to Women’s Suffrage, to the 19th Century religious revival that took place in its wake, traces directly back to the 4 mph “Superhighway” the canal represented to the people of the time. The canal also defined how “The Midwest” would be settled—and by whom! In this sense, it also helped establish “The Union” that would fight—and win—the Civil War, which defines us to this day. 

Buck Beasom’s 40 years in accounting, finance, systems design, applications development, and database administration included over 20 years teaching business and economics courses to conventional and adult college students. He teaches classes for OLLI chapters across the country.