Schoharie Crossing preserves structures from the Erie Canal's three major eras of operation, reflecting the canal's great contributions to the growth of New York State and the nation. The original Erie Canal, completed in 1825, was 363 miles long, with 83 locks and a boat channel 40 feet wide by 4 feet deep; Lock 20 and the East Guard Lock date from this first stage. Beginning in 1835, the canal was widened to 70 feet and deepened to 7 feet, and 72 improved locks were constructed; the Schoharie Aqueduct, Empire Lock, and Yankee Hill Lock were part of this second phase. The third major phase is the Barge Canal, still operating today, in which the Mohawk River is used to create a boat channel 200 feet wide by 14 feet deep, and the Erie Division, opened in the early years of the 20th century, includes 35 locks, among them Tribes Hill Lock 12.
