By the close of the 19 century, technology had advanced to a point where the Mohawk River itself could be modified for traffic. Both the original and Enlarged Erie Canals had avoided the Mohawk, but new dam-building, steel-making, and dredging techniques were now available to tame the previously uncontrollable river. The Erie Division of the New York State Barge Canal System is still in operation and is comprised of 35 locks, each 300 feet long by 45 feet wide. Its boat channel ranges from 160 to 200 feet wide and is 14 feet deep. After the Barge Canal opened in the early 20 century, the old Erie Canal and its structures were abandoned. Much of the land was subsequently auctioned off into private ownership. The view looks west across the Mohawk Valley, with the Barge Canal and Mohawk River on the right and the abandoned Enlarged Erie Canal and Yankee Hill Lock, Lock 28, on the lower left.
