As the Erie Canal marks its 200th anniversary, Jane Wilson traces its storied course across New York State — from historic lock towns and cultural landmarks to vineyards, waterfalls and Indigenous legacies — discovering how this man-made waterway shaped America’s past and still defines its sense of place today…
You could call it overtourism. Back in 1825, people packed onto boats to travel along what one might consider the US’s first superhighway, the Erie Canal. Of course, accommodation was rather less than five-star back then – bunk beds were considered premium class, otherwise it was the upper deck or the roof. This was ‘slow travel’ in its truest sense as mules pulled the boats along towpaths, but it became the fashionable, comfortable way to travel, taking five days to cross New York State, and a step up from the traditional, uncomfortable stagecoach journey, which took several weeks.
New York’s governor at the time, DeWitt Clinton (no relation), had campaigned for an artificial waterway across New York State and successfully spearheaded this first public infrastructure project. Construction began in 1817, and took eight years to complete. Four-feet deep, 40 feet wide and 363 miles long, it was an engineering marvel of its age, based on the research and techniques from earlier European canals. Fuelled with a shovel and jug of whisky (toddies of 10-15oz a day), its labourers included local farmers and Irish immigrants who were paid in food and accommodation.
They toiled through mosquito-infested swamps infested, felled trees and woodlands by hand, and overcame the rapids and waterfalls of the Mohawk River. They devised equipment to pull stumps, developed hydraulic cement that hardened underwater and used hand drills and black powder to blast stone to cross rocky cliffs. The Lockport Flight was one of the challenges solved with a staircase of five locks, lifting and lowering boats 49 feet, a feat which helped to shape canal tourism today. Dubbed Clinton’s ‘big ditch’, it brought the allure of travelling by waterways to America, connected Albany to Buffalo and the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
The canal directly linked five future cities; Syracuse, Albany, Rochester, Utica and Buffalo. It brought wealth and trade along its path, planting the seeds for today’s thriving cities and transported people along with ideas that changed the world. And it brought character to the cities, too. Syracuse, the county seat of Onondaga County, is home to the historical Erie Canal Museum housed in the Syracuse Weighlock Building. It was here that the first Drive-Up Teller for passing canal boats was created. Low level windows still remain, although the canal has been rerouted.
Another old boy in town is the Marriot Syracuse Hotel, restored back to its 1920s heyday enjoyed by the Rolling Stones, Elvis, The Eagles, and a party venue for Yoko and John Lennon. Syracuse is the gateway to the Finger Lakes region, laced with vineyards, orchards, gorges, state parks and edged with glacier-formed hills harbouring deep valleys.
George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film (photo by Darren McGee)
The charming village of Skaneateles is affectionately known as the Crown Jewel of this region and, from the shore of Skaneateles Lake, boat cruises pass million-dollar homes with landscaped gardens spilling onto the shoreline while fishermen cast for rainbow trout. Anyela’s Vineyard & Winery is a must for wine tastings, and Beak & Skiff in Lafayette offers a flight of cider – the orange creamsicle was a firm favourite!
Cultural capital Rochester has long been referred to as Kodak Town. Housed within the 1905 colonial revival mansion, the George Eastman Museum is the world’s oldest photographic museum, while the Strong National Museum of Play proves that no one is too old for toys amongst its vast collection, which delves into the science of play.
Nearby are the Sam Patch Erie Canal Tours which run narrated trips onboard a replica of an 1880s packet boat, and pass through a century old locks in the Port of Pittsford along the National Heritage Corridor. In Lockport, guided tours explain the Flight of Five Locks, including the miter lock, conceptualized back in the 15th century by Leonardo da Vinci, which uses water pressure to create a tight seal used in many canal locks today.
Renowned for Buffalo Wings and sponge candy, Buffalo is New York State’s second largest city, of which Buffalo port at the western terminus of the Erie Canal made the city rich and famous. Blanketed by streets and parking lots, an archaeological dig discovered whiskey distillery foundations revealing the shape of the original canal. Today it has been replaced with the Waterway of Change, an interactive exhibit which explores the legacies of the Erie Canal, tracing its socio-economic impact.
Spirit of Buffalo, 73ft Top Sail Schooner cruising out into Lake Erie from Canalside in Buffalo (photo by Darren McGee)
On the other side of the port sits Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House and Estate, highlighting the unique, prairie style architecture and famous for its 400 art glass windows. Here, too, we’re at Lake Erie, and an opportunity to go back in time aboard the Spirit of Buffalo, sailing on a classic 73-foot topsail schooner with its red sails blowing in the breeze.
Of course, the climax of the Erie waterway route is another of nature’s masterpieces; the awe-inspiring Niagara Falls, with roaring cascades and thrilling experiences on the Maid of the Mist and the exhilarating Cave of the Winds. Although, as a bucket list destination, it’s mesmerising simply to stand at the rails and marvel at the torrent pouring over the precipice, and at night this spectacle of the falling water is illuminated in theatrical colour.
The Erie Canal brought success for many, but heartache for others. According to Melissa Parker Leonard, a descendent of the Tonawanda Band of Senecas, one of the Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, “The Erie Canal fast-tracked policies that fractured our communities. It became a turning point in the broader effort to dispossess us of our lands.” In 1842, they lost two of Seneca territories, deepening the divide among the people. Some had already been pushed to Wisconsin by 1826 and others emigrated out West to Oklahoma and Kansas. “But many of us resisted removal,” she tells me, “We were determined to remain on our homelands, and we did.”
Today, Melissa serves on the Buffalo History Museum’s Board. She is the founder of 7th Gen Cultural Resources (www.7thgencr.com), a consultancy dedicated to Indigenous historical interpretation, education and community engagement. Their philosophy teaches that the decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future.
The Erie Canal bicentennial has prompted a deeper look at the history and created an opportunity to share the indigenous story through present-day exhibitions like the Waterway of Change exhibit in Buffalo. To mark the anniversary and celebrate the impact of this man-made waterway, a replica of the original Seneca Chief will set out on a voyage from Buffalo to New York City and the Hudson River in September, travelling for over a month, stopping along the way to plant Eastern Pines in respect of the Indigenous peoples.
The Erie Canal put New York on the map as the Empire State. It transformed the city into the nation’s principal seaport and opened up the interior of North America. In 2000, it was designated a National Heritage Corridor flowing 524 miles across the full expanse of upstate New York. As a recreational waterway lined with trails, thriving cities, towns and villages, decorated with boats and barges, and awash with natural resources, this ribbon of waterway remains a fashionable way to travel, with a history binding it to New York State. It is slow travel at its best.
For more information about the Erie Canal, please visit www.eriecanalway.org. Trips Beyond offer tours along the canal (0800 270 0009, www.tripsbeyond.co.uk). For more information on New York State, please visit www.iloveny.com.
Photos courtesy of New York State Department of Economic Development.
