Ithaca as a City of Trade

A view of the Cayuga Lake from Ithaca College's Butterfield Stadium

Being a student at Ithaca College, I’ve always enjoyed the magnificent view of the Cayuga Lake. Its many inlets provide many opportunities for sailors, who can sail as far as the Eerie Canal or anchor their boats outside venues like Castaways to listen to the variety of bands that make up the local music scene. But who would have thought that Ithaca was once a major city of trade along the canal in the early 1820s? The strategic location of this small liberal town in upstate New York with universities on both its south and east hills was able to flourish due to the boat and lumberyards involved with the network of waterways linked by the Cayuga-Seneca Canal. I stumbled across this plaque below at one of the bridges on the west side of town. It’s amazing what you can find in Ithaca by getting lost.