Construction of the Oswego Canal began on July 4, 1826, on its first 12-mile section from the falls above Fulton, then called Oswego Falls, to the harbor at Oswego. Originally, the canal had a depth of only four feet, and dredging over the years increased it to approximately ten feet. By the early 20th century, engine-driven boats had damaged the canal's natural earthen banks. In 1903, New York State authorized construction of a new Barge Canal system to replace the Erie Canal and its branches, and construction of the Oswego Barge Canal took place between 1905 and 1917.