Ep. 101: Water Transportation [TEASER]

About this episode

This episode explores the history and current state of water transportation in the United States, focusing on key waterways and ferry services.

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration For roughly seven decades from 1790 to 1855, water transportation was the dominant form of transportation in the United States. This week’s episode of Silent Generation begins with an examination of one of the most important pieces of infrastructure that enabled it to be so prosperous, the Erie Canal. Nathan and Sebastien then detail waterways that enable freight shipping to remain competitive in the present day like the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Mississippi River. They then transition to discussing what they like about passenger ferry services like the Staten Island Ferry, NYC Ferry, and the Chicago Water Taxi. The episode concludes with a debate about why urbanists don’t typically care about water transportation, and whether urban waterways can be used for purposes other than recreation. Links: Sebastien’s Survey of Old Erie Canal The Erie Canal - American History Hit Low Bridge, Everybody Down The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan The End of the World is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan The Port of Chicago is not just a scar on the city’s shoreline and a threat to the environment. It’s…

People in this episode

Hosts: Nathan, Sebastien

Topics covered

• water transportation
• infrastructure
• freight shipping
• urban waterways
• passenger ferry services

Keywords

• water transportation
• Erie Canal
• freight shipping
• urban waterways
• passenger ferries

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NYC Ferry

Books & works: The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, The End of the World is Just the Beginning

Places: United States, Erie Canal, St. Lawrence Seaway, Mississippi River, Staten Island Ferry, NYC Ferry, Chicago Water Taxi, Chicago

More episodes of Silent Generation

• Ep. 107: Frutiger Aero [TEASER] · June 9, 2026 · 10 min
• Ep. 106: Algorave · June 1, 2026 · 57 min
• Ep. 105: The Information Age w/ Juniper · May 18, 2026 · 1h 42m
• Ep. 104: The Clear Craze [TEASER] · May 6, 2026 · 5 min
• Ep. 103: Those Characters From Cleveland · April 28, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Ep. 102: Soft Countriana w/ Evan Collins · April 21, 2026 · 1h 24m