Why does the song say 15 miles on the Erie Canal?
Fifteen miles was the common distance a mule or horse would work before resting. This is “a falsehood made up to explain a falsehood,” says Dan Ward, former curator at The Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse NY.
Who sang the Erie Canal song?
Seven Years
Low Bridge, Everybody Down (or Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal)/Artists
What does the song Low Bridge reveal about life along the Erie Canal?
Allen. The Erie Canal Song, as it is commonly known by today, was written in 1905 under the title Low Bridge, Everybody Down about life on the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal Song was written to commemorate the history of nearly 100 years of life along the Erie Canal.
What is the name of the mule in the Erie Canal song?
We think the likely answer to this clue is SAL. Below are all possible answers to this clue ordered by its rank….Mule In An Erie Canal Song Crossword Clue.
| Rank | Word | Clue |
|---|---|---|
| 2% | BIGDITCH | Erie Canal nickname. |
Why were mules used on the Erie Canal?
Mules were a popular draft animal on the Erie Canal. An offspring of a male donkey and a female horse are generally less stubborn and more intelligent than a donkey and hardier and longer lived than a horse. Many barges had a small compartment to stable mules in the front of the barge.
How many years did it take to complete the Erie Canal?
8 years
The canal was completed in only 8 years at a cost of $7,000,000. When completed on October 26, 1825, DeWitt Clinton (by then Governor of New York) boarded a vessel, the Seneca Chief, in Buffalo and headed to New York City.
How many miles a day could a boat travel on the Erie Canal think of the song?
The refrain is “Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal”
Did horses pull boats on the Erie Canal?
Mules and horses were used to power canal boats. Attached to the boats by a rope, the animals walked along a towpath next to the canal, pulling the boats behind them as they went. Teams of horses or mules worked in shifts.
How did boats move on the Erie Canal?
The 363-mile Erie Canal was built in 1825. The smaller packet boats, or later known as canal boats, were used to carry mail, cargo, and passengers using the canals and rivers. Packet boats were often pulled through the canals by a team of horses or mules who walked slowly along the bank.
Who built the Erie Canal?
| Erie Canal | |
|---|---|
| Original owner | New York State |
| Principal engineer | Benjamin Wright |
| Other engineer(s) | Canvass White, Amos Eaton |
| Construction began | July 4, 1817 (at Rome, New York) |
When was the first song about the Erie Canal written?
It’s called “Low Bridge! – Everybody Down (or Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal).” The refrain, as originally written and sung, is “Fifteen years on the Erie Canal.” The first appearance of “Fifteen miles” is 1926. (See timeline below.) See above.
What was the name of the mule on the Erie Canal?
In addition to the The Erie Canal Song and Low Bridge, Everybody Down titles, the song has also been referred to by the following names over the years: Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal, Mule Named Sal and Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal. Around 1905 mule powered barge traffic had converted to steam power and diesel power was about to take over.
How many choruses are in the Erie Canal song?
The song has five choruses – they change after each verse, and only the first chorus mentions “your neighbor” and “your pal.” Doubtful*. The song has not been found in oral tradition, or elsewhere, prior to its copyrighted date in manuscript form (1912).
How many years did Sal work on the Erie Canal?
Like most folk songs, the lyrics (and title!) of The Erie Canal Song has changed over time. The most obvious changes from Thomas Allen’s orignal version has been changing the word years to miles. Allen’s original version commerates 15 years of working along the canal with Sal.