Written by Cyndy Unwin
Illustrations by Scott Cummins
Join Nat and Rodney as they learn about the
history and folklore of the Erie
Canal the fun way—through the eyes and stories
of Nat’s Uncle Patrick. The boys have 121 Erie Canal facts to find and their teacher has decided that Uncle Patrick is the perfect one to help them.
Uncle Patrick is commissioned to build a replica of one of the early canal boats. Nat and Rodney are to work with him and learn about the line boats that once carried workers and immigrants on the Canal. Not only do they help Uncle Patrick build the boat, they are invited to participate in a reenactment of the boat's maiden voyage.
Why was the Erie
Canal called “the Gateway to the West”?
What were hoggees, and why didn’t they have anything to do with
hogs? Why was it very important to
listen if you were a passenger riding on top of a canal boat? Find out the answers to these questions and
more as you read this entertaining, fact-filled story about the Erie Canal and
its important place in our nation’s history.