First Welland Canal 1818, when the flow was especially low, Merritt pursued the idea of bringing water to his mills from the Welland River. On a bigger scale, the Erie Canal, dug from the Hudson River through northern New York, was about to reach Lake Erie. The impending completion meant the cargo from upper Great Lakes was about to head down the canal and Hudson River to New York City, bypassing its previous destination, Montreal. At the time, a considerable rivalry existed between Montreal and New York for cargo headed to Europe via ocean-going vessels. All of these factors contributed to the construction
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