US Migration Canals

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Historic Background
Canal traffic in the United states helped connect isolated rural areas to urban population centers from 1820 until the spread of railroads about 1860. Settlers flooded into regions serviced by such canals and the waterways they connected, since access to markets was available. The Erie Canal connected New York City to the Great Lakes. The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River system. Pennsylvania combined canals and railroads. Maryland, Ohio, and Indiana also built canals that were inviting to settlers.

List of Significant Canals
Some of the most significant canals to American settlers were: