Beaver Dam

Historical marker location:

West Berne, New York

( Marker is on Helderberg Trail (New York State Route 443) 0.1 miles east of County Route 254, on the left when traveling east.)

Marker installed: 1932

The Erie Canal, which opened in 1825 and connects the Hudson River to the Great Lakes, was originally mocked as "Clinton's Folly" after Governor DeWitt Clinton, who championed the project. However, the canal became an economic boon for New York and helped turn the state into a major commercial center.