Erie Canal

Celebrating 200 Years

By Joanne E. McFadden

This year, New York invites the world to help celebrate the bicentennial of the Erie Canal. This year’s canal season includes special events, recreational activities, exhibits and festivals to commemorate this 19th century feat of engineering that played an integral role in New York’s development and beyond. The NYS Canal Corporation will open the canal west of Syracuse on May 16, but due to heavy rains the eastern end will open in phases soon after. For the bicentennial, the season will be extended by two weeks to end on November 3.

Rich History – The idea to build a canal that would connect the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Erie came in the early 1800s. The canal’s greatest champion and the person who organized the political effort to secure funding for the project was DeWitt Clinton who served in several political offices before being elected governor of New York State in 1817. 

The road to obtaining money for the canal’s construction was an arduous one. Three presidents who doubted the project’s feasibility refused federal funding. Undeterred, Clinton persevered, and the state provided the $7 million required for the build – roughly $200 million in today’s dollars. 

Equally as laborious was the construction of the canal. On July 4, 1817 in Rome, void of the power of modern machinery, workers began cutting a 363-mile-long pathway through forests, fields and swamps to create the four-foot deep, 400-foot wide waterway. It took eight years to finish the work. On October 26, 1825, Clinton and other dignitaries boarded the Seneca Chief – the first canal boat – and set sail for New York City to officially inaugurate the Erie Canal with the “Wedding of the Waters” ceremony, pouring a barrel of Lake Erie water into the ocean. As part of the bicentennial celebration, volunteers from the Buffalo Maritime Center built a full-size replica of the vessel which will traverse the canal over 33 days, starting on Sept. 24 from Buffalo at the World Canals Conference with roughly 25 stops to allow visitors to see the boat.

The Erie Canal played a crucial role in New York’s economic development. The canal also established New York City as a principal commercial seaport. Cities, including Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo, grew up along the canal, financially benefiting the state’s residents. The canal reduced travel time from Albany to Buffalo from two weeks by stagecoach to just five days, facilitating and lowering the cost of transport of agricultural goods from western New York and other states to market. Beyond New York’s borders, the canal accelerated western migration by transporting immigrants westward where they went on to expand the young American nation. The Erie Canal’s success spurred the construction of other canals in North America. 

In addition to economic benefits, there were cultural ones. The canal played a part in helping African Americans escape to freedom as part of the Underground Railroad. Abolitionists kept safehouses near the canals, as its towpaths provided roads to those fleeing slavery. 

Today’s Canal – While the canal played a pivotal role in commerce and nation-building after its inception, today, the canal is a top recreational destination for cyclists, runners, walkers, paddlers, boaters, and anglers. The Erie Canalway Trail, part of the Empire State Trail, is 85% off-road (53% paved; 48% stonedust) and 15% on roads – and relatively flat – that passes through historic sites, communities and landscapes.

The NYS Canalway Water Trail is used by paddlers and boaters alike. The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has been developing the Water Trail with emphasis on accessibility, safety, and stewardship.

Experience the Canal – Opportunities for all ages and abilities abound during the festivities of this canal season, demonstrating the canal’s ongoing relevance today. This year’s festivities provide myriad ways to experience the canal against the backdrop of its rich, significant history. 

The Waterford Canal Festival on May 16-18 is one of the events that kicks off this year’s canal season, adding an extra day to the event. This year’s Waterford Canal Festival is a special treat, celebrating the bicentennial opening of this historic engineering marvel that changed the course of American history. The festival includes exhibits, free boat rides, kids’ fishing clinic, bicycle safety instruction, vendors, food and music: waterfordcanalfestival.com

The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is hosting its annual Paddle the Canals event on June 22. Paddle the Canals: Erie 200! is a 2.7-mile “Paddle the Flight” through Locks 2-6 in Waterford, and around Peebles Island. This recreational paddle is sold out with 285 participants and includes a shirt, shuttle to the start, and lunch at the Peebles Island State Park pavilion – followed by a guided history walk. 

Other ways to enjoy being on the water are on boat tours, renting a boat or kayak, or launching your own. In the Capital-Saratoga Region, Upstate Kayak Rentals offers rentals, “Paddle the Flight” excursions, and group outings: upstatekayakrentals.com. For more bicentennial celebrations, visit Erie Canalway’s events calendar, plus ideas for paddling, cycling, boating, and more: eriecanalway.org.

Canal Programs – For those who want to hit the trails, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is adding a special 200-mile goal to its free Canalway Challenge this year in addition to its 1st Mile for people with disabilities, 15-, 90-, 180- and 360-mile goals. People choose their own goals to walk, run, hike, bike, roll or paddle the canal and earn bicentennial swag. The 360-mile distance represents the entire Erie Canalway path from Albany to Buffalo. Some people choose to cycle the whole distance, spending nights camping or at hotels or Airbnbs near the trail. The nonprofit Warm Showers even provides a lists of hosts who offer showers to long-distance canal travelers: eriecanalway.org/explore/challenge.

“Whether you plan to take part in the Canalway Challenge, paddle through a lock, or find your way to the trail for an event, race or tour, we hope all New Yorkers take advantage of this incredible recreational asset during a momentous year," said Bob Radliff, executive director of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.

The NYS Canal Corporation and NY Power Authority sponsor “On the Canals” a year-round recreational program to encourage people to get outdoors and experience the 524 miles of canals and accompanying paths in the state, which includes the Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca canals as well as the Erie Canal. “Our On the Canals programming offers free activities on the entire Canal System to get people of all abilities outside and on the water and trail,” said NYS Canal Corporation director Brian Stratton. Special bicentennial events will be posted online: onthecanals.com. 

While many ridiculed Clinton for building the canal, nicknaming it “Clinton’s Ditch” and “Clinton’s Folly,” the project was a colossal success that still benefits people today as a prime recreational venue. For info about this year’s events, visit: eriecanalway.org. 

Charlton-based freelance writer Joanne McFadden (mcfaddenfreelance@gmail.com) is a distance walker and swimmer who was thoroughly inspired to sign up for Paddle the Canals: Erie 200! during the research and writing of this article. She’s bringing along her husband, too.