Scope and Content Note
This series consists predominantly of incoming correspondence received by the state canal system Western Division Engineer's Office in Rochester, New York. Only scattered copies of outgoing letters are present. Frequent correspondents include the state canal board and canal commissioners; state engineer and surveyor and deputy state engineer and surveyor; state superintendent of public works; state canal system middle and eastern division engineers; canal section superintendents; auditor of the state canal department; contractors; local politicians and other public officicials; and railroad system operators and engineers.
Letters pertain to all contingencies encountered in the day-to-day management of the planning, enlargement, operation, and maintenance of the canal system in the western division. Correspondents address very specific details relating to the creation of maps and plans, design and construction of canal structures, operation of locks and maintenance of water levels, disposition of abandoned canal lands, and handling of claims for damages caused by the construction or operation of canals in the division.
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