<P> At the beginning of the 19th century, transportation from the US east coast into the mainland was difficult . Ships were the fastest vehicles at the time, as trains and automobiles were still being developed . In order to facilitate shipping throughout the country's interior, numerous canals were constructed between internal bodies of water in the 1800s . One of the most significant canals of this era was the Erie Canal, built to link the Midwest to the Port of New York, a significant seaport during that time . The completion of the canal enhanced the development of the American West, allowing settlers to travel west, send goods to markets in frontier cities, and export goods via the Hudson River and New York City . The completion of the canal made New York City one of the most vital ports in the nation, surpassing the Port of Philadelphia and ports in Massachusetts . After the completion of the Erie Canal, smaller canals were built to connect it with the new system . The Champlain Canal was built to connect the Hudson River near Troy to the southern end of Lake Champlain . This canal allowed boaters to travel from the St. Lawrence Seaway, and then British cities such as Montreal to the Hudson River and New York City . Another major canal was the Oswego Canal, which connected the Erie Canal to Oswego and Lake Ontario, and could be used to bypass Niagara Falls . The Cayuga - Seneca Canal connected the Erie Canal to Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake . Farther south, the Delaware and Hudson Canal was built between the Delaware River at Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and the Hudson River at Kingston, New York . This canal enabled the transportation of coal, and later other goods as well, between the Delaware and Hudson River watersheds . The combination of these canals made the Hudson River one of the most vital waterways for trade in the nation . </P> <P> During the Industrial Revolution, the Hudson River became a major location for production, especially around Albany and Troy . The river allowed for fast and easy transport of goods from the interior of the Northeast to the coast . Hundreds of factories were built around the Hudson, in towns including Poughkeepise, Newburgh, Kingston, and Hudson . The North Tarrytown Assembly (later owned by General Motors), on the river in Sleepy Hollow, was a large and notable example . The River links to the Erie Canal and Great Lakes, allowing manufacturing in the Midwest, including automobiles in Detroit, to use the river for transport . With industrialization came new technologies for transport, including steamboats for faster transport . In 1807, the North River Steamboat (later known as Clermont), became the first commercially successful steamboat . It carried passengers between New York City and Albany along the Hudson River . </P> <P> The Hudson River valley also proved to be a good area for railroads . The Hudson River Railroad was established in 1849 on the east side of the river as a way to bring passengers from New York City to Albany . The line was built as an alternative to the New York and Harlem Railroad for travel to Albany, and as a way to ease the concerns of cities along the river . The railroad was also used for commuting to New York City . Further north, the Livingston Avenue Bridge was opened in 1866 as a way to connect the Hudson River Railroad with the New York Central Railroad, which goes west to Buffalo . Smaller railroads existed north of this point . On the west side of the Hudson River, the West Shore Railroad opened to run passenger service from Weehawken, New Jersey to Albany, and then Buffalo . In 1889, the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge opened for rail service between Poughkeepsie and the west side of the river . </P> <P> Starting in the 20th century, the technological requirements needed to build large crossings across the river were met . This was especially important by New York City, as the river is fairly wide at that point . In 1927, the Holland Tunnel opened between New Jersey and Lower Manhattan . The tunnel was the longest underwater tunnel in the world at the time, and used an advanced system to ventilate the tunnels and prevent the build - up of carbon monoxide . The original upper level of the George Washington Bridge and the Lincoln Tunnel followed in the 1930s . In 1955, the original Tappan Zee Bridge was built over one of the widest parts of the river, from Tarrytown to Nyack . </P>

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