NYC: the Erie Canal and the Broadway show, "Annie"

Magnet NYC
Originally uploaded by trudeau

The enormous risk of digging the Erie Canal (almost 400 miles of waterway) was undertaken by the leaders of NY, such as their governor, DeWitt Clinton. No one was sure that the canal would produce significant trade and wealth.

But it opened in 1825 and became a huge success.

The Erie Canal connected Lake Erie, at Buffalo, NY, to the Hudson River, at Albany.
Thus there was a way to ship goods from the Midwest to NY harbor.

The barge traffic in the late 1800's and early 1900's produced enormous amounts of trade.


"Annie" is the story of an orphan in NYC who is - eventually - adopted by a rich guy, Daddy Warbucks. In the process. the audience learns about NYC and the Great Depression.

Geography class uses these tunes -

* It's the Hard Knock Life — Annie & Orphans
* Tomorrow — Annie
* N.Y.C. — Warbucks, Grace, Annie, Star-to-Be, Chorus
* Easy Street — Rooster, Miss Hannigan, Lily
* You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile — Bert Healy, Boylan Sisters