Lake Erie
Lake
Erie is one of the Great Lakes and currently serves as part of Ohio's northern
boundary. During the 1700s and 1800s, Lake Erie provided a quick means of
transportation for men engaged in the fur trade as well as settlers hoping to
improve their fortunes in the Ohio Country. Its importance grew during the
1810s and the 1820s as Americans began to build canals. The completion of the
Erie Canal, connecting the Hudson River in New York with Lake Erie, provided
the first navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the upper Midwest.
This allowed farmers in Ohio a relatively quick and inexpensive route to
transport their products to market. Cleveland quickly grew and became one of
the leading industrial centers of Ohio thanks to its location on Lake Erie.
