Opened in 1825, the Erie Canal connected the Atlantic Ocean to the upper Great Lakes along more than 350 miles between the Hudson River near Albany and Lake Erie at Buffalo, using locks to raise and lower boats more than 570 feet. It opened the interior of North America, transformed New York into the Empire State, carried settlers and immigrants westward, helped create cities and new industries in New York and the Midwest, and moved farm and factory products east to Atlantic markets. Enlarged over the years for larger boats, it still operates as an active and historic waterway, linked by the Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain canals to a wider inland network. At Lockport, engineers overcame the Niagara Escarpment with the Lockport Flight, twin five-lock staircases that became an engineering marvel, drew tourists from around the world, and helped Lockport grow from a construction camp into a prosperous city supported by canal traffic and water-powered manufacturing.