History of the Mohawk Valley: Gateway to the West 1614-1925

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History of the Mohawk Valley: Gateway to the West 1614-1925
Packet Boat on the Old Erie Canal

[This information is from Vol. II, p. 1275 of History of the Mohawk Valley: Gateway to the West 1614-1925, edited by Nelson Greene (Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1925). It is in the Schenectady Reference collection of the Schenectady County Public Library at Schdy R 974.7 G81h. This online edition includes lists of portraits, maps and illustrations. As noted by Paul Keesler in his article, "The Much Maligned Mr. Greene," some information in this book has been superseded by later research or was provided incorrectly by local sources.]

Packet Boat on the Old Erie Canal

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Photo: Packet Boat on the Old Erie Canal

On the Albany-Buffalo route this was considered a luxurious mode of travel, after the days of rough riding on the stage coaches. The packet boats flourished from 1825 to 1850 and carried hundreds of thousands of travelers and emigrants through the Gateway to the West.

History of the Mohawk Valley: Gateway to the West 1614-1925Packet Boat on the Old Erie Canal

History of the Mohawk Valley: Gateway to the West 1614-1925
Packet Boat on the Old Erie Canal