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Visit the Barbie Expo Exhibit in Montreal

by BravelyBohemian

Did you know there is a permanent Barbie Expo exhibit in Montreal? With the Barbie movie all the rage this year, it’s the perfect time to celebrate fashion in a miniature form.


As a kid, I played with Barbie and her friends. We had the Barbie camper, Barbie blow up beanbag furniture and the Barbie pool. Plus, Barbie had a million different outfits and crazy high heels. I remember we went to the regional farmer’s market where we met a lady who sewed tiny custom Barbie couture gowns. My parents let me invest in one. I chose a navy blue velvet strapless dress with a pale blue gauzy long skirt. Well I thought my Barbie was really styling and from that day forward, I had a new appreciation (at age 6) for fashion design.


Fast-forward 40 years. My husband, Al, decided to surprise me with a winter trip to Montreal. This was our last trip before covid hit. The room-sized Imagine Van Gogh exhibit had just come to North America from Europe and I just had to see it. Montreal was the first city to host the exhibit. I talk more about the AMAZING Van Gogh experience here. But we had the whole weekend to also immerse ourselves into the city of Montreal and see what we could discover.


So fun fact about Montreal: the city hosts the Barbie Expo, and has for years! And if you are a fan of Barbie or have an appreciation for couture fashion, you must go see it!

Barbie Expo Montreal Fashion Show


The Barbie Expo takes up a back section of the Les Cours Mont-Royal shopping mall right in the heart of downtown Montreal. Follow the signs through the mall and you will happen upon a trendy black and white space hung with crystal chandeliers and rows of brightly lit museum cases. You will find hundreds of Barbies dressed in miniature couture outfits crafted by the biggest designers from around the world and individually styled for the runway. It’s all rather fascinating the more you look at them. Each doll is decked in amazing detail, from the stitches on the dresses to the tiny shoes, handbags and hairstyles. I was mesmerized and had a heck of a time picking my favorite.

Barbie Doll gowns designed by Bob Mackie at the Barbie Expo in Montreal


After the first few showcases, I made a game of the adventure- could I guess the designer before reading the sign? There’s Bob Mackie, Givenchy, Kate Spade, Versace and Badgley Mischka. Tim Gunn from Project Runway even had a Barbie in the mix. Other dolls were designed as celebrities such as Elvis, Audrey Hepburn and Prince William and Kate Middleton, while others represented major brands like Ferrari, Coca-Cola and Harley Davidson. There were also a wedding gown display and Barbies dressed in traditional costuming from around the world.

Barbie Dolls in gowns by Zahair Murad, Georgio Armani and Givenchy at the Barbie expo in Montreal
Barbie in a Reem Acra wedding gown at the Barbie Expo in Montreal


And no visit is complete without visiting the Barbie runway fashion show and then hopping into the life size Barbie selfie box and taking a few pics.

Hop in the Barbie Box for a selfie at the Barbie Expo in Montreal


And what was super cool- the exhibition is free, but please drop some money in the donation box on your way through. All donations go to the Quebec Make a Wish Foundation.


To learn more about the Barbie Expo in Montreal, click here.
To read about our immersive Van Gogh exhibit experience, click here.

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Filed Under: Adventuring, Fashion, Trends Tagged With: Adventuring, Fashion, Reviews

Imagine Van Gogh: Experience Van Gogh in Extra Big Style

by BravelyBohemian

In January 2020, amazing Vincent Van Gogh video ads started popping up on Facebook. It immediately caught my attention- a French exhibit where Van Gogh’s work was being projected onto 2 story warehouse walls in an incredible larger than life experience called “Imagine Van Gogh.” It looked amazing! I called my husband, Al, over and exclaimed, “Look at this video!”  

Imagine Van Gogh exhibit

Al saw I was fascinated and decided he had to get me to the exhibit. Traveling to France was out of the question, but he did his homework. The exhibit was coming to North America, so for Christmas he got tickets for the soon to open exhibit in Montreal, Canada.

Now, anyone who knows me, knows that I am NOT a winter gal. Al wanted to do the “pack your bag” total surprise trip but knew he would just get “that look” if he told me I needed to bring lots of cold weather clothes. I give him credit. He worked hard to not have to tell me what he was up to. But I still gave him “the look” anyway. I knew he was up to something. Trying to get me to go north for a surprise winter vacation was a losing battle so he finally just told me: “I am taking you to Montreal in January to see Imagine Van Gogh.” I think I swore in amazement and then gave a deafening cheer as reality set in. The giant sized Van Gogh exhibit was coming to North America! And it was only 4 hours away from us by car! This was followed by, “Holy cow! Montreal in January is going to be FREEZING!!!” And I spent the rest of the evening shopping online for ridiculously warm and waterproof boots, jacket, long johns, ski gloves and scarf.

The Imagine Van Gogh exhibit was located at the Arsenal Contemporary Art Center.  https://www.arsenalcontemporary.com/. While Imagine Van Gogh is the original traveling Van Gogh experience, there is an additional company now also exhibiting Van Gogh shows in the U.S. The second company is called the Van Gogh Exhibit: The Immersive Experience.

Standing outside Imagine Van Gogh at the Arsenal in Montreal

At Imagine Van Gogh Montreal, we entered a warehouse style building and started the experience in a small space of exhibit panels that explained who Vincent Van Gogh was, his life and career as a painter, and his impact on the world. There was also an explanation about how the exhibition came about. This set the tone before we walked into the main exhibit hall.

The main hall was hung with massive white sheets, 2 stories in height, around the perimeter of the huge room, and contained several movable panels in the middle of the room. Nothing can describe coming around the corner and into that space for the first time. The Van Gogh projections were on a continuous loop so there were no show times or obvious starts and stops. You literally just walked in. Splashed on all the walls around you, including the ceiling and even the floor were Van Gogh’s paintings. You literally felt like you were walking in and on his paintings. The most stunning part was seeing the detail of the paintings in such magnitude. You literally could see and sense the strokes of the brush and dimensions of texture in the paint. You could see the colors and the essence of the scene in a whole new light.

The room was otherwise minimized. There were only a handful of seats in the corners, disguised as natural rocks. People were free to stay as long as they wanted and wander freely. Once we stayed a while, we realized that the images told a subtle story, taking you through the evolution of Vincent Van Gogh’s life and career. Gentle music choreographed the art projections.

Inside Imagine Van Gogh Montreal at The Arsenal.

I have to say, the experience was magical. I can see the appeal of locals attending the exhibit numerous times for the sake of the experience and for relaxation. After we watched the projections several times, we then started people watching. It was fascinating to notice people’s reactions, from those originally arriving into the space to those who, like us, were hanging out for a while. Some people wandered around in awe. Others sat or laid down on the floor for new perspective. There were people doing yoga. Most people at some point reached out to touch the projection screens like the paint was truly right there still drying on the canvas.

And maybe the most fun of all was to watch a group of nursery school students who arrived hand-in-hand. After a few minutes of taking in the space, several of the children started dancing, thoroughly enjoying themselves. The kids actually looked blissful and totally caught up in the moment.

Van Gogh Sunflowers at Imagine Van Gogh Montreal

Imagine Van Gogh was an amazing experience. While that exhibit is not currently touring in the U.S. or Canada, you can catch it in France or you can see the competitive Van Gogh Exhibit: The Immersive Experience in several cities. This exhibit has some other interesting bells and whistles including a virtual reality experience and more seating. Each city’s exhibit is slightly different as it gets designed around each building that houses the display. If you happen upon the exhibit as you travel or are looking to plan an interesting trip, seeing one of the massive Van Gogh exhibits is a must!

To learn more about Imagine Van Gogh, click here.

To learn more about the Van Gogh Exhibit: The Immersive Experience, click here.

Read up on more of our adventures in Montreal here.

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Filed Under: Adventuring Tagged With: Adventuring, Reviews

Fun Things to Do in Montreal in Winter

by BravelyBohemian

Montreal in Winter is the place to be.


One of our goals is to spend more time in Canada and we are especially intrigued by Montreal. We are only about 2 hours from 2 different bridges into Canada: Niagara Falls to our West and near the Thousand Islands and Kingston, Ontario to our North.


My husband, Al, and I spent a fun extended weekend in Montreal in January 2020. We spent 4 days exploring the dual language city and were impressed by how hip the vibe was. Two months later, the covid pandemic spread to North America and the border between the U.S. and Canada closed for several years. We have yet to get back, but Montreal is high on our list to continue to explore.


Why Go to Montreal in the Winter?

Great question! I’ve always wanted to visit Montreal, but Montreal in Winter? I am NOT a cold weather gal. But Al surprised me with tickets to go see the first North American showing of the huge Imagine Van Gogh projection exhibit that was originally shown in France. I was so excited about seeing the exhibit I almost forgot we would be traveling north into the cold and snow. I say almost because after hearing Al’s plans, I ran to my computer to order warmer winter clothes and boots. I review Imagine Van Gogh in another article in this series, but let’s just say the exhibit was HUGE and incredible! If you have a chance to go to one of the immersive Van Gogh exhibits, I highly recommend it. You won’t regret it!


Al and I have a very fluid, bohemian travel style. We usually plan a trip around a particular reason, theme, or event, and often add on a few days on to a work trip. We then figure out the rest of the details as we go. We booked an AirBnB in Montreal proper and knew we were going to the Imagine Van Gogh exhibit. Otherwise, we were going to wing it once we got there- exploring and seeing what we could find once in the city. This gives us an enjoyable sense of discovery in the moment and helps us relax from all of the planning of our day to day lives.


We like Montreal because it is very hip. It has a college town vibe kind of like Boston. The city is bilingual. Many signs are in French, but people were mostly very friendly and helpfully switched into English when we looked confused trying to interpret a sign or menu. We did try out the subway, which only announces stops in French, so that was the biggest challenge. We diligently watched the map and counted stops in hopes we would get off at the right location because we couldn’t understand the announcements. It was rather amusing as we tried to problem solve our situation.


Our AirBnB was quaint, though we were surprised and challenged by it’s metal spiral staircase to get to the third floor apartment, especially after it snowed. That staircase was something you would not legally find in the U.S. Carrying our bags up and down was a workout! And we quickly noticed that Montreal uses very little salt or ice melt on the roads, sidewalks or stairs. So if you go in winter, be observant of where you walk so you don’t go sliding.

Montreal in Winter AirBnB


Montreal has fantastic restaurants, pubs and cafes. The French baked goods are to die for! The nice part about visiting the city in Winter is that there are few tourists. Service was laid back but effective, and we didn’t have to wait for seating anywhere we went.


As for exploring the city, we decided to walk the whole weekend except for one subway adventure. We stayed about 2 miles from downtown Montreal so it was very doable. That also kept us from worrying about moving our car around and interpreting parking rules. Many of the residential streets are narrow with mansard roof buildings. Downtown had an interesting mix of old and new architecture.


Our first stop was to the Arsenal Contemporary Art building to see the Imagine Van Gogh exhibit. I love seeing old buildings reused for interesting purposes. The Arsenal is a space that can hold larger art exhibits than a normal museum or gallery.

Imagine Van Gogh Montreal immersive exhibit


To our surprise, later that day, we happened upon the Barbie Expo, a large collection of hundreds of Barbie dolls dressed in couture fashion by many of the biggest designers in the world. The collection was there well before the Barbie movie came out and is quite impressive. Located inside the Les Cours Mont-Royal Shopping Center right on the hill of downtown Montreal, the exhibit is free to view. It also got us out of the cold for a bit, as the wind in Montreal can also be impressive.

Barbie Expo in Les Cours Mont-Royal Shopping Center in downtown Montreal


Toward evening, we decided to wander down the hill to Old Montreal, or Vieux-Montréal, that bumps right up to the St. Lawrence River. And when we say old, it’s old. The city dates back to 1642. This is the most famous tourist section of Montreal. On the way, we found ourselves walking down an extra wide street that turned into a plaza. This is known as Place Jacques-Cartier, or Jacques Cartier Square in English, and was festively lit with white lights and snowflake sculptures. This display is an annual event called Luminothérapie, an illuminated display of cheerful Winter sculptures spanning several streets. The lights and sculptures were very pretty. We also saw various groups of college-aged students dressed up in costumes heading down the hill too, which we thought was rather curious and we will get to shortly.
Old Montreal is famous for the St. Paul Street Shops. St. Paul street is beautiful with its historic buildings and cobblestone roadway. It is a great place to browse or window shop. Old Montreal also has many restaurants and charming hotels, and is a great place to explore, even in winter.

 Luminothérapie Winter lights in Montreal


Beyond St. Paul Street is the Old Port of Montreal. The Old Port of Montreal dates back as far as 1611, when records indicate the French began trading furs in the area. Some of the old shipping buildings have been turned into restaurants and shops. We chose to have dinner at a brewery that we happened upon as we wandered.


After dinner, we explored the rest of the Old Port. The Old Port is the home to one of the huge Eye Ferris Wheels, known as the La Grande Roue de Montréal. This was our first adventure riding an Eye ferris wheel. The wheel is massive and the view spectacular! The La Grande Roue de Montréal gave us a wonderful view of the St. Lawrence River, as well as an ice-skating park located almost immediately below us. The rink was crowded with skaters, but we happened to be in the Eye when they cleared the ice and brought out the Zamboni. The driver had fun driving around the rink cleaning the ice.

La Grande Roue de Montréal, the huge Eye Ferris wheel and skating rnk in the Old Port, Montreal


Looking out the other direction from the Eye, there seemed to be looking at the set up for a festival. We could see several stages and what looked like vendor booths and food trucks on one of the wide piers. There were bright lights staging the whole area, but no one was there. We were curious about what we were looking at so after exiting the Ferris wheel, we wandered over to the area. We soon came to ticket booths and a blocked off area. It was a night festival of some sort that hadn’t started yet. And as we poked around the walkway, we saw more and more people milling around in crazy costumes.


Well, it turns out we were early for one of Montreal’s famous winter rave parties. It’s known as Igloofest: Montreal’s Winter Electronic Music Festival on Jacques-Cartier Pier. It runs for 3 weekends in January and February. Thousands of people turn out to dance, eat and drink, and participate in what is fondly known as the tacky snowsuit contest (aka Halloween costumes plus warm boots). While we did not attend Igloofest directly, it was fun to discover and see people gather for some winter fun.


The next day, we got brave and took the subway from the stop near our AirBnB to Saint Helen’s Island, known in French as Île Sainte-Hélène and Parc Jean-Drapeau. The park marks the original grounds of the World’s Fair called Expo 67 hosted by Montreal in 1967. Our mission was to visit the Montreal Biosphere, a historic structure designed by Buckminster Fuller for the fair. The giant Bucky Ball covers what is now an environmental museum. Bucky Fuller is one of Al’s favorite figures in history so this was a very special opportunity for him to set foot on the grounds and soak in the energy of the place.

Montreal Biosphere designed by Buckminster Fuller


We did have to laugh though, because on our way over on the subway that morning we found ourselves in the midst of many families with small children bundled up in snowsuits and carrying sleds. What were we getting ourselves into? Well, we were on a roll. We found ourselves in the middle of another Montreal festival! This time we happened upon the Montreal Snow Festival, or Fête des Neiges de Montréal. As we got off the subway, all the families flocked to the right, so out of curiosity we wandered in that direction as well. Taking place over several weekends, the event included many fun winter activities, including sledding, hockey, ice sculpting, snowshoeing, ice climbing and much more. We saw many happy children, and parents who looked tired before they even got to the start of the place. We must admit, it looked like a lot of fun. We, however, were not dressed to have a day of wet, outdoor winter activities, and certainly didn’t expect to find ourselves in the midst of hundreds of families, so we quietly walked away from the festival grounds to a more peaceful part of the park.


A little way up the path, we came to our original destination of the day, the Biosphere. The museum was a wonderful place to learn about Expo 67, Bucky Fuller’s design for the sphere and building it housed, and to get an in-depth look at nature in and around Quebec province. We also took the elevator to the very top of the building which gives you a beautiful view of the St. Lawrence River, Parc Jean-Drapeau and Montreal proper. The museum staff were friendly and welcoming, so it was a very cool experience. By the end of our day, we looked as tired as the parents we saw at the Snow Festival.

Biosphere Montreal is now an awesome environmental museum


We regretted that our weekend went by so fast and it was already time to head back to the U.S. We covered a lot of ground discovering Montreal in Winter. At the time, we definitely made it a priority to come back and explore more of the city. Now that the covid pandemic has subsided and the border is once again open, we are looking forward to going back. On our list to see next time, most likely in warmer weather, is McGill University, the Botanical Garden and the famous Notre Dame Basilica near the Old Port. Though we are also game to go back to Montreal in Winter. Montreal is a surprisingly fun, active city in Winter and we were impressed that people embraced the cold by celebrating right through the season. If you are looking for a fun getaway Montreal in Winter is a great, if unexpected, choice.

Click here to learn more about our other adventures in Montreal in winter.

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Filed Under: Adventuring Tagged With: Adventuring, Reviews

A Ghost Photography Book Review: The Apparitionists: A Tale of Phantoms, Fraud, Photography, and the Man Who Captured Lincoln’s Ghost

by BravelyBohemian

If you ever peruse Victorian photographs on Pinterest or the web, you probably have stumbled across one of the most famous pictures of ghost photography- Mary Todd Lincoln being consoled by the ghost of her husband, Abraham Lincoln. The picture is creepy, yet somehow draws you in. It is a photo of mourning, yet comfort at the same time. The photo has a universal quality to it. Don’t we all want to know that our passed loved ones are still near and watching over us, even to this day?

Lincoln's Ghost_Photograph of Widowed Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Todd Lincoln being consoled by the spirit of Abraham Lincoln in famous ghost photograph by William H. Mumler. From the collections of Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana

The ghost photograph of the Lincolns was taken by William H. Mumler around 1869. Mumler was an early dabbler in the art and science of photography just as the invention arrived in the United States from Europe. The new book, The Apparitionists: A Tale of Phantoms, Fraud, Photography, and the Man Who Captured Lincoln’s Ghost by Peter Manseau takes us on a fascinating journey through the 1850s to just after the Civil War when photography becomes all the rage in the United States.

The Apparitionists: A Tale of Phantoms, Fraud, Photography, and the Man Who Captured Lincoln’s Ghost

For the first time, people could capture and preserve- in the moment- images of their loved ones and hold them close even after that person passed away. Until that time, people of means maybe had a painted portrait or two created during their lifetime. For most people, images of their loved ones simply faded away with memories.

Photography, especially in the early years, was certainly a grand science experiment. First, the desired image needed to be captured on plates, then developed with a series of chemicals, followed by the printing of the image. The process was often dangerous, depending on the chemicals used, and time-consuming. In the early days, people had to sit without moving for several minutes so that there was enough time for the exposure to take place. Preparation of the camera plates and development of the photos also left lots of room for human error.

Whether he meant to be or not, William H. Mumler became one of the most famous and sought-after photographers of his time. Mumler appeared to have a gift- he caught spirit images in his photographs. How he did it, he never revealed. But most likely, he manipulated his camera plates and chemicals to expose such images into his portraits.

With such massive loss of life during the Civil War, coupled with the affordability of photography during the 1860s – almost every soldier had a photo taken of himself in uniform before heading off to war to leave with loved ones- people turned to photography to help them grieve. And Mumler one-upped this by capturing the spirits of those loved ones they were grieving.

In The Apparitionists: A Tale of Phantoms, Fraud, Photography, and the Man Who Captured Lincoln’s Ghost, Manseau explores the role of the Spiritualism Movement in America, which also helps explain people’s obsession with ghost photography. As we recently explored in the post about the Erie Canal, Spiritualism started in Upstate New York. People wanted to know their passed loved ones were still close and helping to guide their lives. Contacting the dead through mediums and séances became all the rage. Many of these activities were acts of showmanship and sleight of hand, but people didn’t care. They desperately wanted beliefs to hold onto. Spirit photography easily found its place among such believers.

Yet many people set out to prove Spiritualism practices such as Mumler’s ghost photography as fraud. Numerous people, including competitor photographers, came to Mumler’s studio to try and spot his manipulations. Articles for and against ghost photography were written about in popular magazines of the day.

William Mumler Trial_Harper's Weekly_May 6_1869
The front cover of the widely read Harper’s Weekly from May 8, 1869 describing the Spirit Photography trial of William Mumler in detail.

All of this activity came to a head in 1869, when William Mumler gets charged with fraud and finds himself in the center of a lengthy and expensive court case. Most of the case was dramatically published in Harper’s Weekly. Manseau walks the reader through many of the transcripts of the trial. The trial takes numerous turns as witnesses argue not just whether William Mumler is guilty of fraud but whether ghosts are real and Spiritualism, in general, is reputable. Even P.T. Barnum, the ultimate showman of the time, steps in as a witness.

While a trial like William Mumler’s would certainly be thrown out of today’s courts, in 1869, the case received national attention. It is a curious look at how the court was conducted in Victorian America and leaves a lot to be desired.

I will leave the rest of the whodunnit and how, plus the outcome of the trial for you to find out when you read the book. The Apparitionists: A Tale of Phantoms, Fraud, Photography, and the Man Who Captured Lincoln’s Ghost is an incredibly interesting read well worth your time.


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Filed Under: Books, History, Reviews, Spirit Tagged With: Books, History, Reviews, Spirit

Heaven’s Ditch: God, Gold and Murder on the Erie Canal: Book Review

by BravelyBohemian

I am excited to review Heaven’s Ditch: God, Gold and Murder on the Erie Canal, by Jack Kelly, a fascinating look at the building and impact of the Erie Canal on American history, commerce and expansion.

Book Review_Erie Canal_ Heaven's Ditch by Jack Kelly

Growing Up Near the Erie Canal

Having grown up in central New York, we learned about the Erie Canal, visited places that once were part of the canal and played along parts of the Erie Canal that still existed. We visited the Erie Canal Village and Erie Canal Museum. We rode in a packet boat pulled by mules and sang the “Low Bridge, Everybody Down” song. I still remember parts of it all these years later.

Erie Canal song_Low Bridge Everybody Down
The Most famous song about the Erie Canal, Low Bridge, Everybody Down

The Erie Canal is just part of Upstate New York culture, and we are pretty darn proud of it. Construction of the Erie Canal began in 1817 and completed in 1825, so we are in the middle of celebrating its bicentennial. Surveying of the land began in 1808 and according to Jack Kelly’s research, the terrain was such wilderness, the surveyor, James Geddes, had to take a team of people with him just to rough cut a path to measure and place his survey markers.

Building the Erie Canal

Canals were very common all over Europe, but in the early 1800s, a revolutionary idea, especially in America. Ridiculed as “Clinton’s Ditch” after New York Governor Dewitt Clinton, many felt building a canal across New York State was a huge waste of money. Visionaries, however, who saw how much the Appalachian mountains along the Eastern part of the United States made it difficult for Western expansion, were interested in the curious break in the mountains in upstate New York near Albany. The idea was if a canal could connect the Hudson River, which was deep enough for seafaring ships to move between New York City and Albany, with points to the west, goods and people could be transported easily and affordably. Vast lands to the west were ideal for farming and feeding the growing number of people living in cities along the Eastern seaboard if the cost of transporting such supplies could be reduced.

The story of how the Erie Canal was designed and built is such a tale of American aspiration and ingenuity. If you’ve ever taken a drive across New York State, you will notice how diverse the terrain. New York was once covered by glaciers that receded creating mountains and hills laced with lakes and rivers, ravines and waterfalls, while the middle of the state just south of the Lake Ontario is relatively flat and swampy. Trying to navigate East-West even today can be tedious depending on the weather, as anyone knows who’s been caught in a rain or snow storm along the New York State Thruway. So imagine trying to create a waterway flat enough to connect the Hudson River with Lake Erie, an area that spans over 360 miles. The terrain actually rises around 600 feet between the banks of the Hudson River and the shores of Lake Erie. This meant building locks and aqueducts throughout the canal to make it feasible by boat.

Erie Canal drawing showing survey of terrain differences between the Hudson River and Lake Erie.

The engineers taking on the Erie Canal project had little to no experience in building such structures, so much of the canal was built in a trial and error format. Working on the canal was difficult and dangerous, and used a huge immigrant workforce to complete. According to Kelly, it was the first organized labor force of its kind in America.

Influence of the Erie Canal

Once completed, the cost of travel for people and goods dropped drastically. Towns and cities, like Rochester and Syracuse, burgeoned with population growth and new industries. People moved west in droves hoping to cash in on farming and other businesses that could now use the Erie Canal to ship their goods. Immigrants used the canal to move Westward into Ohio and beyond where land was still cheap and the hopes of keeping their culture and religions intact seemed likely. New York City’s population also grew quickly as an advantageous port city.

View on the Erie Canal_painting_John William Hill
Erie Canal Painting by John William Hill, 1830-1832, showing packet boat being pulled by mules.

What’s most interesting about Jack Kelly’s book is his careful weaving of the stories of some of the famous people who came out of this era of Erie Canal expansion. Having lived most of my life in the Fingerlakes region of central New York State, I had always learned that this area was a hotbed for all sorts of political, religious and moral thinking. People like Fredrick Douglas and Harriet Tubman resided in the area. The anti-slavery movement was huge here, as was the Underground Railroad. The first Women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls in 1848. Women’s Right to Vote leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B Anthony and Matilda Joslyn Gage all lived in Central New York. The Mormons and Church of Latter Day Saints were founded by Joseph Smith in Palmyra, NY. Other forms of Christianity expanded greatly through upstate New York in this same time period. The Masons and anti-Masonic movement got its strength from this region.

Erie Canal Pottery_Staffordshire
This Staffordshire Pottery commemorated the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825. From the collections of the Rochester Museum & Science Center.

After reading Heaven’s Ditch, I finally understood WHY all of this came to be in and around Central New York. The Erie Canal made it possible. Points along the Erie Canal made it one of the easiest places to travel to, and affordably. The canal was used by the Underground Railroad to move escaped slaves along to Canada. Transportation enabled political people to meet and share information. Religious evangelists, like Charles Finney, arrived by the canal to bring huge tent revivals the area. Saving souls was big business at the time of American expansion.

I will say no more, but to recommend getting your hands on a copy of Heaven’s Ditch: God, Gold and Murder on the Erie Canal, by Jack Kelly. I will leave the murder part and some of the other more interesting characters up to you to discover. His writing makes the book a fast, interesting read, and if you didn’t already recognize so many of the people by name, you’d wonder if some of the characters are fiction. Heavens Ditch is the best book I have read about what life was like along the Erie Canal in the 1800s.


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Filed Under: Books, History, Reviews Tagged With: Books, Fingerlakes Region, History, Reviews

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Meet Karen…

https://bravelybohemian.com/meet-karen
Wife, Crazy Cat Lady, Museum Junkie, History Buff, Entrepreneur, Crafter, Collector, Book Enthusiast, Project Runway Addict, Holistic Gypsy, Adventurer, Steampunker, Literal Tree Hugger and All-Around Fun Gal

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