History of the Hudson River hundred years, various groups had sought to have a canal built between the Great Lakes and the Hudson River. This would link the frontier region of the United States to the Port of New York, a significant seaport during that time period as it is today. Construction of the canal began in 1817 and finished in 1825. Originally called "Clinton's Ditch", after NY Governor DeWitt Clinton, the canal proved to be a success, returning revenues of over $121 million after an initial construction cost of only $7 million. After the canal was built, freight could travel from many frontier cities,
Milo, New York area of , of which, of it is land and of it (13.37%) is water. Milo lies between Keuka Lake and Seneca Lake, which define respectively the west and east town lines and are two of the Finger Lakes. The Keuka Lake Outlet flows between the lakes in the north part of the town and helped determine the course of the Crooked Lake Canal. New York State Route 14, New York State Route 14A, and New York State Route 54 are north-south highways in the town. As of the census of 2000, there were 7,026 people, 2,824 households, and 1,790