Rating: 
Summary: Oysters! Oysters! beautiful Oysters!
Review: `The Artificial River' changed everything and nothing would remain the same. The book begins with these particular words, "Oysters! Oysters! beautiful Oysters," trumpeted a headline in a Batavia, New York, newspaper in 1824. The achievement of oysters so far from the sea symbolized a great achievement that previously seemed impossible. It was a daily reminder to the people along the canal that transportation was reshaping the lives of ordinary Americans. The Erie Canal brought a nation that was divided by mountains and valleys closer together. A distance that took three weeks to travel was instantly shrunk down to a couple days and it economically opened doors of many possibilities to do business. The advancement of technology with the building of Erie Canal shaped a new kind of man that would mold the mountains of nature. These new technologies carried ideas, culture and politics through every stream and corner in the United States. I do agree that historians have a terrible trend at citing unusual sources, but the book is still good. It is beautifully written and reveals how little people know about the amazing Erie Canal. Sheriff covers the problems of the canal (dividing up farms for example), business, the canal reducing the time to travel and the molding of the canal through nature. It is a great book for someone wanting to know about the Erie Canal and learn about the transportation revolution. A few neat facts! A lot of people died in the night for standing on the top of the boat and getting hit by a bridge - giving a new meaning to duck! Also, a lot of people died from drowning because they could not swim, even though the canal was only five feet deep.
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