As a research librarian, you have to learn the tricks of searching. Usually, this means identifying specific and possibly unexpected search terms to retrieve unique results. This is often how things unfold when finding cool resources in the New York State Library catalog.
Breaking Down an Erie Canal Search
Topic: Erie Canal.
Purpose: More visual illustrations for the New York State History Conference presentation in June 2025.
Goal: Hidden Treasure
Found: Notes of a canal boat trip taken in the summer of 1895 (manuscript) by Augusta Woodruff Brown held in the Manuscripts and Special Collections unit of the New York State Library.
This item was a true find, but how it was found is an interesting case, too. After searching for items using the terms Erie Canal, Barge Canal, Canal, DeWitt Clinton, images and Erie Canal, Erie, Immigration and Erie Canal, the keyword mule was the winner!
Notes of a Canal Boat Trip
Here is a review of the catalog record of the item found using the search term mule:
“A narrative of the journey Brown and three female companions had taken during the summer of 1895 primarily on waterways from New York City to Québec City. Much of the journey was completed aboard the "Bertha M. Bullis," a freight canal boat, which began its journey as part of a 72-boat chain towed by three tugs up the Hudson River, to Troy, New York, where it entered the Champlain Canal. It was then pulled up the canal by mules and the length of Lake Champlain into the Richelieu River by tugboat. After reaching St. Jean, Québec, they boarded a train for Montréal, where they spent a couple of days sightseeing. From Montréal, they continued their journey by boat down the Saint Lawrence River. The return trip was made primarily by freight boats beginning at Sorel, Québec. Not only did she describe the people and places she encountered on her journey, but also the workings of the canal boats and those who operated them. Throughout her trip, Brown also sketched scenes of the boat and the surrounding landscape to provide a visual as well as a written record of her experiences.”
Who would have thought the term “mules” would bring up a tremendous discovery!
In 1895, Augusta Woodruff Brown from Brooklyn, New York created this amazing travel diary. Augusta exquisitely detailed the trip with incredible artwork and notes. Take a look at some of the highlights of the journey:
Explore Notes of a canal boat trip taken in the summer of 1895 in full in the Library's Digital Collections:
NYS Library Exhibit: Locks, Labor, and Legacy
The Erie Canal was a bold experiment in engineering, labor, and vision. The NYS Library's newest 7th floor display, Locks, Labor, and Legacy: the Erie Canal, brings together materials from the New York State Library to mark the 200th anniversary of this transformative waterway. The display explores how the canal was built, who built it, and how it reshaped New York State, leaving a legacy that continues to flow today.
Augusta Woodruff Brown's account of her travels on the Erie Canal is one of many fascinating items at the NYS Library that tell the long story of the Erie Canal and the people who built and used it. For more travel accounts and illustrations, as well as maps, sheet music, canal directories, and so much more.
Plan your visit to this excellent exhibit today! You might even discover your own hidden treasure!