The Erie Canal, along with the Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca canals, is known throughout the world as the most historically significant and influential canal system in North America. Together, these canals are widely seen as a scenic and cultural treasure that evoke powerful memories of a proud past and provide great promise for a bright future.
Major events, ribbon cuttings, special programs, and tours are on tap from Albany to Buffalo for the Erie Canal bicentennial in 2025. Legacy projects that contribute to the next century of the canal's preservation, sustainability, and recreational use also will feature prominently. Bicentennial activities will culminate with delegates from around the world traveling to Buffalo for the 2025 World Canals Conference from September 21-25.
Champlain Canal Turns 200 in 2023
Two years prior to the auspicious opening of the Erie Canal, the Champlain Canal was fully operational from Troy to Lake Champlain in 1823. In its first year, one hundred boats made the 63-mile journey. Just as canal proponents had hoped, the connection of Lake Champlain with the Hudson River enhanced the value of northern New York and Vermont. Iron ore, lumber, pulpwood, and farm produce from New York's North Country, Vermont, and Canada flowed south. Profits from trade also diverted south from Canada, as New York City grew to become the nation's largest port.
The Champlain Canal continues to serve as a north-south connector, welcoming visitors to experience the history and scenic beauty of the region.
The Champlain Canal near Fort Ann
| Date | Champlain Bicentennial Events | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Through 12/23 | Champlain Canal Stories: 200 Years from Waterford to Whitehall (exhibit) | Crandall Public Library, Glens Falls |
| 6/3 | Champlain Canalway Trail Family Bicycle Celebration | Fort Edward to Fort Ann |
| 7/14 | Whitehall on the Champlain History Tour & Paddle | Comstock to Whitehall |
| 7/29 | Paddle the Canals: Champlain 200! | Fort Edward to Schuylerville |
| 8/12 | 17th Annual Cardboard Boat Races: Magical History Tour | Fort Hardy Park, Schuylerville |
| 9/8-10 | Waterford Tugboat Roundup | Waterford Canal Harbor at Lock 2 |
| 10/8 | Champlain Canal Bicentennial Concert with the Albany Symphony | Albany |
| 10/14 | Locktoberfest Fort Edward | Canal Street Marketplace, Fort Edward |
Thanks to the dedication of generations of canal workers and the support of people like you, the NYS Canal System remains one of America's greatest treasures.
A Brief Timeline of Construction of the Erie Canal
Construction of the Erie Canal began in Rome in 1817. Workers started first on the easiest, most level sections. In subsequent years, they tackled major engineering challenges at Cohoes, Little Falls, Rochester, and Lockport, where construction needed to overcome the most difficult elevation changes. Sections of the canal opened as they were completed, until the entire canal from Buffalo to Albany opened in 1825.
| April 15, 1817 | NYS Legislature passes the act to construct the Erie and Champlain Canals |
| July 4, 1817 | Ceremonial first digging for the Erie Canal takes place at Rome; real work begins six days later on July 10 |
| October 22, 1819 | Erie Canal opens between Rome and Utica |
| July 4, 1820 | Syracuse celebrates completion of the Erie Canal from Utica to the Seneca River |
| November 18, 1821 | The locks at Little Falls are complete, opening navigation from Montezuma to Schenectady |
| July 1822 | Erie Canal navigable from east bank of the Genesee River in Rochester to Schenectady |
| Sept 10, 1823 | Champlain Canal opens end to end |
| October 1, 1823 | Genesee Aqueduct complete; Erie Canal is in operation from Brockport to Albany |
| September 1824 | Erie Canal reaches the foot of the Niagara Escarpment at Lockport |
| October 26, 1825 | Erie Canal complete; Gov. DeWitt Clinton departs Buffalo leading a flotilla of boats across the canal to New York City |
| November 4, 1825 | Grand celebrations take place in New York City as Clinton performs the “Wedding of the Waters,” pouring water from Lake Erie into the Atlantic Ocean |
| November 23, 1825 | The Atlantic Ocean meets the Great Lakes. The canal boat Seneca Chief returns to Buffalo to complete the "Wedding of the Waters." |
