The Northern Gateway for antebellum trade was the primary trade route connecting the Midwestern United States with the Northeast and the Atlantic Ocean. The gateway's canals, rivers, and railroads drastically altered the makeup of America's economy, culture, and population distribution. As rail and waterway technology improved, the Northern Gateway became the preeminent trade conduit in the nation. It helped spur the growth of both eastern and western cities. Settlers rapidly began to settle in the burgeoning towns of the many trade points all along the gateway's route. It allowed goods and information to travel at unprecedented rates, which, in turn, completely re-vamped the style and processes of American culture and economics. Overview The Northern Gateway's primary throughway was the Erie Canal, which was completed in 1825. This man-made waterway traversed New York state 364 miles from Albany to Buffalo. In effect, it connected New York City with Lake Erie due to the fact that the Hudson River unites New York City with Albany. Thus, this feat of human engineering opened up trade between the Atlantic Ocean and Midwestern cities like Chicago. The Saint Lawrence River is the other key waterway of the Northern Gateway. It largely defines the US-Canada border in the northeastern section of the continent. It runs from Lake Ontario in northwestern New York through Quebec and Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean, north of Maine. A later development to the infrastructure of the Northern Gateway was the New York Central Railroad, which was finished in 1852. While it took a little more time than the canals to gain considerable freight traffic, it ended up connecting New York City, Boston, Ontario, Quebec, Erie, and Chicago. Economic Significance As time progressed, the Northern Gateway established itself as the foremost trade channel in the United States. Its close rival, the Northeastern Gateway, connected Philadelphia with Pittsburgh. However, it never really challenged the Northern Gateway in terms of volume of freight traffic. While the Northeastern Gateway's trade tonnage did increase during the antebellum period, it rarely carried more than 5% of westward shipments. Even after the state completed the very costly Mainline of the Pennsylvania Public Works in 1834, which was supposed to be the hallmark of the Northeastern Gateway, it only amounted to 5-10% of the Northern Gateway's traffic volume. By the late 1850s, it had surpassed the well-established Southern Gateway in total tonnage of freight shipments, and had become the