Ridge Road

Historical marker location:

Hudson, New York

( Marker can be reached from Olana State Historic access road, 0.6 miles north of New York State Route 9G, on the right when traveling north.)

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.