As students are returning to school, this month’s featured collections in New York Heritage share a focus on STEM fields. CLRC’s featured collection, Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum‘s collection relating to The Great Steamboat Race Letters, exemplifies the importance of science & technology to our local history.
The letters in this collection were written as submissions for a contest sponsored by New York State that solicited designs for innovative canal boat propulsion systems that could replace animal power on the Erie Canal. While the State was ultimately disappointed by the results of the contest, the letters offer a fascinating glimpse into the creative solutions proposed by professional engineers and amateur inventors alike.