Under the leadership of Philip Schuyler, construction on the Western Inland Canal began in 1793 and was completed in 1795. Proposed by George Washington and others, the nearly mile long canal was a boon to shipping because it eliminated the labor-intensive portage of boats and goods around the Little Falls rapids. The canal ceased operation in 1825 with the opening of the Erie Canal. The 1795 canal was rendered obsolete by the Erie Canal's 1825 opening on the south side of the Mohawk River. Little Falls residents and business owners demanded that the state build a feeder canal, an aqueduct, and a boat basin connecting the two canals. The state approved funding for the aqueduct, but Little Falls had to provide the cut stone for its construction. The Little Falls aqueduct was completed in 1822, connecting the Erie Canal to the Western Inland Lock Navigation Canal.