06/17/2026
On June 17, 1895, US Ship Canal (W 225th St) in the Bronx was completed; cutting Marble Hill off from Manhattan. Essentially, it made the turbulent waters of the the Spuyten Duyvil Creek and Harlem River, that connected the Hudson River, navigable. After the establishment of the Erie Canal, several attempts were made at establishing a canal through Spuyten Duyvil to shorted the passage up the Hudson by avoiding the tight turn at Marble Hill. With joint funding coming from the U.S. Congress and New York State, the plan was put into action. The canal was 400 feet (120 m) in width and have a depth of 15 feet (4.6 m) to 18 feet (5.5 m) and cut through the rock of Dyckman's Meadow, making a straight course to the Hudson River. When it opened, New York came out to celebrate! Sadly, there is little evidence that this canal had much of an impact upon the economy.
Image: The March 22, 1890 issue of Scientific American had a detailed cover depicting the construction of the Harlem River Ship Canal with the Johnson foundry in the distance.
