The Erie Canal Celebrates Its Bicentennial

Bicyclists, boating enthusiasts, history buffs and hydraulic engineers take notice: It’s the bicentennial of the Erie Canal, and an immense celebration of the milestone, with scores of events and activities including festivals, walking tours, boat tours, bike trips, farmers’ markets, and a speaking series, is underway.

Construction on the Erie Canal, considered a marvel of engineering, began July 4, 1817, and lasted until it opened Oct. 26, 1825. It ultimately transformed New York state, boosted such cities as Albany, Syracuse, Utica, Rochester and Buffalo, fueled the commercial growth of New York City, in particular the transport of timber, agricultural goods and merchandise, and provided a gateway to settling in the West. But with the rise of railroads and trucking, the canal has become more a destination for tourists and recreational purposes, and it’s the season to take advantage.

For the most motivated who want to take it all in, July 13 is the start of an eight-day, 400-mile bicycle ride along the canal from Buffalo to Albany involving 40-to-60 mile rides a day, 85 percent off-road. Also offered is a four-day excursion and a day trip for cyclists.

For those less adventurous, day-long festivals with music, art and local foods, are being held July 2 to 6, respectively, in Medina, Utica, Seneca Falls, Fort Plain, and Schuylerville, N.Y.

A troupe of musicians, puppeteers and circus artists on a ramshackle raft, known as The Flotsam River Circus, will be floating and performing (for free) along the canal route from Buffalo to New York City, Aug. 1 to 28.

On Sept. 24, a full-sized replica of the Seneca Chief, the first boat to traverse the Erie Canal in 1825 with Gov. DeWitt Clinton on board leading a flotilla, embarks on a voyage from Buffalo to New York Harbor, docking at 28 ports along the way for public viewing.

Then there’s the World Canals Conference, to be held Sept. 21 to 25 in Buffalo, which will mark the bicentennial as it brings together experts in canals and inland waterways, economic and community development, tourism, and historic preservation.

Sold out was the 2.7 mile, half-day kayaking excursion June 22 through a series of locks and culminating at the Waterford Harbor Boat Ramp. Locks, often referred to as “elevators for boats,” enable boats to navigate waterways with varying water levels. There are 34 locks on the Erie Canal.

On his triumphant 10-day journey on the canal from Buffalo to New York City, when the Seneca Chief reached New York Harbor, Clinton poured a keg of water from Lake Erie into the Atlantic Ocean, symbolizing a union of two major bodies of water. On the boat’s return trip to Buffalo, Mayor Samuel Wilkeson poured a keg of water from the Atlantic into Lake Erie.