Today, the newly revitalized Canalside district pays homage to that heritage, and is a popular gathering spot, hosting hundreds of events each year. Traveling up the canal, you’ll find Gateway Harbor Park in North Tonawanda, home to a summer concert series and the popular Canalfest.

The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing the costs of transporting people and goods across the Appalachians.

At the time of the original Erie Canal’s construction, in the early 19th century, the big question to be answered was, “Where will the Canal connect to Lake Erie?” A fierce battle ensued, …

The 363-mile Erie Canal was begun at Rome, New York, on July 4, 1817. and officially opened with a grand parade of boats from Buffalo to New York City on October 26, 1825.

Tour the Old Erie Canal -- A journey from Buffalo in the west to Albany in the east by way of a clickable map of the Erie Canal path, and incorporating material from both the Images and Traces sections with additional material.

Eight months later, the Erie Canal opened. Governor De Witt Clinton boarded the Seneca Chief in Buffalo for its celebratory voyage to the harbor of New York City. And, within a year, the ice-laden spring flow of the Niagara River destroyed the Black Rock pier.

Built between 1817 and 1825, the original Erie Canal traversed 363 miles from Albany to Buffalo. It was the longest artificial waterway and the greatest public works project in North America. The canal put New York on the map as the Empire State—the leader in population, industry, and economic strength.

Yet shortly after the locks opened in 1825, completing a man-made waterway that connected the Hudson River to the Great Lakes, the critics were silenced, and the Erie Canal, one of the greatest...

The Erie Canal in New York is part of the east–west, cross-state route of the New York State Canal System. It originally ran 363 miles from the Hudson River in Albany to Lake Erie in Buffalo. It was built to create a navigable water route from New York City and the Atlantic Ocean to …

The Erie Canal is a major component of the New York State Canal System and has operated continuously every navigation season since 1825. The 524-mile inland water route ascends 571 feet from Waterford to Buffalo.