The Erie Canal was finished on November 4, 1825 when Governor DeWitt Clinton poured a keg of Lake Erie water into the New York Harbor. Before the completion of the Erie Canal, it cost between $90 and $125 to ship a ton of cargo between Buffalo and New York City. In the first ten years of the canal's existence, the cost had dropped to $4 per ton. In the first year of operation the Erie Canal saw some 2,000 boats, 9,000 horses and 8,000 men that were employed in the transportation of goods on the canal. Despite the later competition of railroads, the Erie Canal continued to be a great success. The Erie Canal was a direct contributor to development of rich farmlands of the Mid-western states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. The farmers would send their crops to eastern markets via the canal and receive in return manufactured goods. Since much of this trade was centered at New York City, this seaport soon became America's largest and most prosperous city.
