The Canal Boys Extraordinary Podcasters

We’re The Canal Boys, three curious minds with wildly different backgrounds and a shared obsession with the strange, surprising, and hugely influential history of the Erie Canal. Our podcast is part serious history, part spirited conversation, with plenty of obscure facts, unexpected detours, and the occasional friendly disagreement.

Together, we invite you to join us on the towpath for a funny, smart, and deeply human journey through the canal that helped shape America.

THE PODCAST

WHY THE ERIE CANAL?

This episode serves as a fun introduction to a series all about the Erie Canal a game-changing project that completely reshaped American history.

The hosts get everything ready for a deep dive into how the canal was built, its big political waves, how it changed everyday life, and all the crazy historical drama happening around it.

INTRODUCTION

Ep. 1

Ep. 2

Ep. 3

Ep. 4

Ep. 5

Ep. 6

Ep. 7

Ep. 8

Ep. 9

Ep. 10

  • In this episode of Canal Boys, the crew dives into the 1835 anti-slavery riots in Utica, New York, showing how a chaotic afternoon actually ended up giving the abolitionist movement a major boost.

  • This episode takes a closer look at how geography quietly shaped the lives and choices of the people involved, and why their stories mattered. It shows that the places they lived rivers, canals, towns, and the connections between them weren’t just background scenery, but played a key role in how events unfolded. By exploring these locations, the episode reveals how geography influenced opportunity, relationships, and movement, often guiding chance encounters and opening or closing the door to what came next.

  • This episode introduces Jesse Hawley and his surprising role in imagining what would eventually become the Erie Canal. While serving time in debtor’s prison and writing under a pseudonym, Hawley began laying out a bold case for linking the Hudson River to the Great Lakes. At a time when the idea sounded more like a dream than a real plan, his essays thoughtfully explained how such a connection could transform trade, travel, and opportunity.

  • This episode takes a look at the important role hydraulic cement played in bringing the Erie Canal to life. Unlike ordinary mortar, hydraulic cement could harden even underwater, making it perfect for building locks, aqueducts, and other structures that were constantly exposed to water. By solving one of the canal’s biggest construction challenges, this remarkable material helped ensure the canal would be strong, durable, and built to last.

  • In this episode of Canal Boys, the crew dives into Frederick Douglass’s 1843 debut in Syracuse, New York, which they paint as the "cool kids' club" for radical abolitionists. At just 25 years old and only three years into his life as a free man, Douglass rolled into town as part of a star-studded tour put together by the American Anti-Slavery Society.

  • In this episode of Canal Boys, we’re diving into the wild world of the Oneida Community, which John Humphrey Noyes kicked off back in 1848. Situated right by the Erie Canal in Central New York, this crew became legendary for their totally "out there" take on social life, religion, and romance.

  • In this episode of Canal Boys, we’re following the heavy but super important story of William and Caroline Harris and their little girl as they tried to make a break for Canada in 1850. Their journey is a real-life look at just how scary and dangerous things got for African Americans after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 kicked in.

  • In this episode of Canal Boys, the crew looks back at the ultimate 1810 "bro trip" that turned the Erie Canal from a wild daydream into a real-life blueprint. In the summer of 1810, five high-society heavy hitters traded their fancy lives in Albany for life in the woods to find a path to Lake Erie: DeWitt Clinton State Senator with big political dreams, Gouverneur Morris A fouding father & smooth talking diplomat, Stephan Van Rensselaer The richest man in New York State Simone DeWitt Clintons cousin & the go to guy from survaying and maps & Peter Porter a Buffalo businessman looking to put his city on the map.

  • In this episode of Canal Boys, the crew looks back at a time when Canada was feeling a little "neighborly nerves" about America’s big plans in the early 1800s, especially after the Erie Canal was finished.

  • In this episode of Canal Boys, the crew takes a playful look at the not-so-glamorous side of life on the Erie Canal during the mid-1800s, seen through the very "cranky" eyes of author Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1835.

Ep. 11

  • In this episode of Canal Boys, the crew takes a playful look at how the "clown car" financial system of the mid-1800s better known as the Panic of 1837 totally derailed the Erie Canal’s big expansion plans.

Let's Chat

Excited about delving into the fascinating past of the Erie Canal? Drop us a line and we'll sail into history together. We're ready to explore new stories with you!