New York State Canal Investigating Commission (1898) Printed Material, Correspondence and Photographs from the Canal…

The Canal Investigating Commission was established by Chapter 15 of the Laws of 1898 to investigate work already done on enlarging and improving the Erie, Champlain, and Oswego Canals; to examine contracts for the work and whether or not they were properly made; and to determine whether the amount of money already expended on the work was properly expended and if additional money was needed to finish the work.

This series consists of instructions, specifications, profiles, cost estimates and accounts, correspondence, and other documents relating to proposed improvements to the Erie, Champlain, and Oswego Canals, 1895-1898, designated as numbered exhibits for the Canal Investigating Commission.

Also included are photographs of the Erie, Champlain, and Oswego Canals, principally views of locks, towpaths, berme banks, culverts, bridges, and canal breaks and repairs. Places represented include Buffalo, Tonawanda, Lockport, Albion, Syracuse, Forestport, Amsterdam, Cohoes, Watervliet, Watkins Glen, Glens Falls, and others. Some of the canal photographs are wholly or partially unidentified. There are also photographs of the Canadian Rockies by W.M. Notman and Son of Montreal, of the Shinnecock Canal, Long Island, 1888, and of the Oswego Power Canal.

Scanned images of a small selection of items are available at the New York State Archives.

B1422Series B1422, Photographic negatives of state canal sites and structures, contains negatives which correspond to some of the prints in this series.

Folder list.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.