Migrating to Michigan Read Online Free PDF Page A

canal?”
    Owen opened his journal and looked up at the professor. “I wrote down that it was one big ditch.”
    Even Rachel laughed at what he had written.
    â€œFunny that you should call it a ‘ditch’,” said the professor. “When Governor Clinton of New York decided to build the Erie Canal, some politicians didn’t like the idea. In fact, they often called the project ‘Clinton’s Ditch’.”
    â€œThat is funny,” I said.
    â€œSo, what did we learn on our trip to visit the Erie Canal?” asked the professor.
    â€œFor one thing,” Rachel said smartly, “we learned that Owen didn’t do a good job of watching Mister Adams.”
    â€œAH-H-H-CHOO!” Owen sneezed into his elbow. Then he looked down as he spoke, “I’m sorry, Professor. I should have been more careful.”
    â€œWell,” said the professor, “you made a mistake, and I was scared that we might lose Mister Adams for a while. What is important is that we all learn from our mistakes. In fact, making mistakes is an important way we learn. Next time we will all be more careful.”
    Owen nodded his head in agreement. Mister Adams just smiled and shook his head yes.
    â€œExactly why is the canal so important to our study of immigrants?” Rachel asked.
    The professor looked up at the sky as he spoke. “Traveling over land took much longer and it was more difficult than traveling through a waterway. Once the Erie Canal was built, immigrants had an easy and inexpensive route to Michigan. People poured into our state from all over the world. It was the Erie Canal that made it possible for so many new people to come to here.”
    Professor Tuesday raised one shoulder then the other. “The idea for the Erie Canal started in the late 1700s. Robert Fulton, himself, sent a letter to George Washington in 1797 to ask for his support for the canal.”
    â€œRobert Fulton,” I asked, “wasn’t he the guy who invented the steam engine or something like that?”
    â€œVery good,” said the professor. “Fulton was a famous inventor who came from Ireland. He also was very interested in a canal that would help to open up North America to new settlement and trade.”
    â€œDid I mention that I’m part Irish?” Rachel asked proudly.
    â€œI believe you did,” answered the professor.

Chilling on a Hillside
Detroit – July 1837
    P rofessor Tuesday picked a leaf off of his coat before he continued. “A survey was done in 1816 that established the route of the Erie Canal. It was to run from the Hudson River, not far from what is now New York City, to Lake Erie near Buffalo, New York. Work started on the canal in 1817, and it was finished in 1825.”
    â€œWho did all the work?” Owen asked as he scratched his nose.
    The professor smiled. “Thousands of immigrants helped to build it. British, Irish, and Germans provided much of the work. Keep in mind that, back in those days, they didn’t have big construction equipment like front-end loaders, dump trucks, and bulldozers. The entire canal had to be dug by hand and with the help of horses and other work animals.”
    â€œSo, how long was the canal?” Rachel asked.
    â€œWhen it was first built, the Erie Canal was 363 miles long. That’s about the same distance between Detroit, Michigan, and Louisville, Kentucky,” said the professor. “It was also 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep.”
    â€œHoly cow,” Owen said. “That’s a long way and a lot of digging.”
    The professor looked at us without saying anything. Suddenly, Owen spoke up again. “I saw something else that was interesting. One boat went into a big rock box and it seemed to float up a bit.”
    â€œExcellent,” said Professor Tuesday. “You saw a lock.”
    â€œA lock, like on my locker at school?” I asked.
    â€œNo, locks on a locker are