Answer:
The Erie Canal is a canal in New York, which is now part of the New York Canal System, which runs from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, and connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The first proposal for such a canal came in 1699, but only in 1798 the Niagara Canal Company started the construction preparations. The first section was completed in 1819, and the entire canal was opened on October 26, 1825. The canal is one of the most important and busiest in the world.
The Erie Canal greatly lowered the cost of transportation between the Midwest and Northeast, with lower food costs in the eastern cities and cheaper machinery and manufactured goods to the Midwest. This canal made the cities of New York, Buffalo and the state of New York richer. It also allowed westward migration.