The Erie Canal came west through Cohoes via 16 locks and then proceeded north across the Mohawk River at Crescent on a very long aqueduct. The canal continued through Saratoga County for 13 miles before re-crossing the Mohawk River at Rexford, and continuing to Schenectady along the south side of the river.
Color postcard of the aqueduct at Rexford, NY.
Canal aqueducts, like the locks, were engineering wonders. They were bridges that carried water, the canal itself, across the river. The towpath, along which mules pulled boats, was also carried across the river. The trunk of the aqueduct was a wooden trough that held water. It was contained within a stonework trestle. The towpath, located next to the trunk, was supported on stone piers or arches.
