Albany's commercial growth boomed after the Erie Canal was completed in 1825. From a small basin, barges entered the river through a final lock. Lining a mile of the canal above the basin was the Lumber District, where towering piles of boards comprised a huge lumber trade, thanks to Adirondack forests. A long pier partially enclosed the waterfront, creating the Great Basin. Vessels of all sorts came here, bringing people and goods of dizzying variety in and out of Albany. After automobiles overtook riverboats in popularity, the old port was filled. It is now the Corning Preserve.
