In this edition of Explore New York, we take a look at an important river running along the North Country. Caitlin Landers shares how the St. Lawrence River has influenced the economy, both locally and nationally.
The St. Lawrence Seaway runs along two Canadian providences and eight American states that includes the namesake river, a system of canals and locks.
The Seaway is critical to the North American economy to the communities that border the waterway, and to the people who live and work along its shores -- one quarter of the U.S. population.
The St. Lawrence River brings jobs and opportunities to the people that live nearby, and the North Country is no stranger to that concept.
"That's one of the reasons Massena was settled, is because of the proximity of actually the three rivers, but the St. Lawrence being the largest," said Massena Town Historian MaryEllen Casselman.
In the last 100 years, the Seaway has been navigated for cargo transport, and used for its hydroelectric power with the Robert Moses-Robert H Saunders Power Dam, which brought big business like Alcoa.
"The St. Lawrence River provided the foundation for industry here in Massena. That part was actually closed off, and the intake was put in when the St. Lawrence Seaway came through, but then the seaway was wonderful because it allowed for traffic to go into the Great Lakes, it increased tourism here," said Casselman.
Whether its been pleasure boaters making their way along the river, tourists at the visitor's center, or even people stopping for work, the river is keeping communities like Massena afloat.
"You have the jobs, you have people staying in hotels, eating their meals here, when you do bring contractors in from outside the area. We've estimated that that also brings in a million and a half, to two and a half million dollars a year," said St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation Associate Administrator Tom Lavigne.
And while tourism or boating may not have the numbers it once had, the Development Corporation says the St. Lawrence River has plenty of room for growth, unlike other modes of transportation.
"We're not only competitive but we have the ability to do more than we're actually doing. So we think the future is bright actually," said Lavigne.
A bright future for the Seaway, the river, and the people living along it.