New York State legislature that natural waterways could be used to create what later became the Erie Canal across New York State, connecting the Hudson River and New York City with the Great Lakes. Later he competed with Dewitt Clinton for the credit for this concept. In 1792, with General Philip Schuyler, Watson formed a company to build locks and canals, starting with the canal at Little Falls, New York, about halfway through the Mohawk Valley where the river had rapids that prevented through traffic. Watson was on the board of the Bank of Albany, but was removed for his progressive ideas, including support of free schools, stage lines and turnpikes. He founded the State Bank of Albany in 1803, which proved highly profitable, so much so that he retired within a few years to pursue agricultural interests. In 1807 Watson moved to Pittsfield, Massachusetts to raise Merino sheep at his farm. To promote better agricultural practices, he organized the first county fair in the United States, at Pittsfield in 1810, with the goal of stimulating competition and use of best practices. He developed the fair with activities for men, women and children, to involve all of the community. Watson was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1815. Marriage and family He married and had two daughters and three sons, Emily Morisceau Watson, Mary Lucia Watson, George Elkanah Watson, Charles Marston Watson and Winslow Cossoul Watson, named after his good friend and business partner. Photographer Yvette Borup Andrews was Elkanah Watson's great-great granddaughter. Legacy His papers are held by the New York State Library. His Elkanah Watson House in Port Kent, New York has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. References Further reading Men and the Times of the Revolution; or Memoirs of Elkanah Watson, 1777-1842, edited by Winslow C. (Cossoul) Watson, New York: Dana and Co, 1856, full text online at Internet Archive. Bangs, Jeremy D. "The Travels of Elkanah Watson" (McFarland & Company, 2015). C.F. William Maurer, "Elkanah Watson: A Tale of Freemasonry and Revolution." Philalethes 63(2010): 94-107. 1758 births 1842 deaths People from Plymouth, Massachusetts American agriculturalists Businesspeople from Massachusetts Writers from Pittsfield, Massachusetts Members of the American Antiquarian Society People from Edenton, North Carolina