Fifteen Miles On the Erie Canal

By the time Thomas Allen wrote "Erie Canal" in 1905, many of the references in the song were already items of nostalgia. Many Erie Canal folk songs developed during the 19th century, most of them long forgotten or relegated to specialty recordings. Allen's, and a separate drinking song that also carries the title "Erie Canal" (or sometimes "E-RI-E Canal") continue in the mainstream. Pete Seeger has recorded multiple versions of both songs, and in at least one instance included both on the same album ("American Favorite Ballads, Volume 3").

While "Erie Canal" is no doubt instantly recognizable to adults who learned it as children, there are relatively few recordings of it. The oldest recordings of "Erie Canal" documented in this site are by The Songs of the Pioneers and by Bill Bonyun, both in 1950. In the past few years, both Laurie Berkner and Dan Zanes (with Suzanne Vega) have issued recordings of "Erie Canal."