The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 was a monumental achievement. Yet few of the laborers who toiled along the canal shared in the prosperity it brought. Mark S. Ferrara tells the stories of the ordinary people who lived, worked, and died along the banks of the canal, emphasizing the forgotten role of the poor and working class in this epochal transformation.
Mark S. Ferrara, Ph.D. is professor of English at the State University of New York Oneonta. His recent books include American Community: Radical Experiments in Intentional Living (2020) and Living the Food Allergic Life (2023).
