Black River Canal - Description of The Canal

Description of The Canal

In 1828, a survey for the Black River Canal Company proposed 34 miles of traffic canal, 11 miles of feeder canal, and 40 miles of navigable river from Rome, NY in Oneida County to Carthage, NY in Jefferson County to allow the communities of Northern New York access to an inexpensive mode of transportation for commerce. Originally the Canal Commission's intent was to complete a route that would terminate at the St. Lawrence river in Ogdensburg at the northern edge of St. Lawrence County. The canal when finished only went to Carthage and yet still possessed all of the traits proposed in 1828 and rose a modest 693 feet (211 m). 109 locks were required to raise and lower the barges in this relatively short distance. Some of the locks were in consecutive series of four and five due to steep grades. The summit of the Black River Canal ("BRC") passed through Boonville in Oneida County, where it met with a feeder canal that originated in Forestport, NY. The northern end of the canal proper terminated at Lyons Falls in Lewis County while canal boat traffic continued through to Carthage by way of improvements to the navigability of the Black River itself and the assistance of steamboats. 2 additional locks and 4 dams on the river were needed to accomplish this feat.