WHITEHALL, N.Y. (WCAX) - One of the most important transportation routes in American history opened on this day in 1823.

The Champlain Canal is a 60-mile canal that connects the south end of Lake Champlain with the Hudson River. Its opening was simultaneous with the opening of the Erie Canal. It made possible the transportation of raw materials and goods through the northern U.S. and Canada, and helped launch the Industrial Revolution.

Lock 12 marks the start of the Champlain Canal in Whitehall. It’s where barges, boats, and yachts go before they either make their way to the Atlantic Ocean going south or up into Canada.

It’s been 201 years to the day since the waterway opened, but its history starts much earlier, when it was a key cog during the Revolutionary War.

“Our claim to fame is

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