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Celebrate 200 Years of the Erie Canal as the Seneca Chief Arrives in the Park

This week, a piece of New York history arrives in Hudson River Park. The Seneca Chief, a 73-foot replica of the original Erie Canal Boat, will stop at Pier 26 as part of its Bicentennial Voyage from Buffalo to NYC in celebration of 200 years since the completion of the Erie Canal.

The Erie Canal is an artificial waterway in New York State that stretches from Buffalo to Albany, linking New York Harbor to the Great Lakes. From 1817 to 1825, the Canal Commission of New York State, led by Governor DeWitt Clinton, financed and built the canal to facilitate trade and settlement westward. 

Built with human and animal power, the Erie Canal is often regarded as a testament to the ingenuity of people. The surveyed route for the project found the path of least geographic resistance across the landscape. Many Euro-Americans believed this land was a wilderness that needed to be tamed, while in fact, Indigenous peoples had lived and prospered in this land for thousands of years.

The Erie Canal forever changed the United States and the 19th Century way of life. The new speed of travel allowed unprecedented movement of goods, people and ideas. When it opened, the Erie Canal was seen as a symbol of exciting progress for New York but that progress was not universal. The eventual success of the canal would solidify the displacement of the Haudenosaunee people and permanently impact the ecosystems of New York State.

In preparation for the Erie Canal’s bicentennial, in October 2020, the Buffalo Maritime Center built a 73-foot, full-scale replica of the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief  — the vessel that first journeyed from Buffalo to New York City to mark the canal’s completion in 1825. This extraordinary community boatbuilding project engaged over 200 volunteers and students on Buffalo’s waterfront. It is the. This extraordinary community boatbuilding effort stands as the largest boatbuilding project of its kind, making the Seneca Chief not only a historic replica but a powerful symbol of craftsmanship, collaboration and Buffalo’s enduring maritime legacy.

The river boat Seneca Chief docked in a park in Buffalo with a highway overpass visible in the backgruond

On September 24, 2025, the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief embarked on the Bicentennial Voyage — a 33-day journey commemorating Governor DeWitt Clinton’s historic trip in 1825. Traveling 500 miles and pushed by the C.L. Churchill tugboat, the Seneca Chief will stop at 28 communities along the Erie Canal and Hudson River. The visitor experience at each port shares a more holistic narrative of the canal’s complex story — including its impact on Indigenous communities and the environment — ultimately transforming the Bicentennial Voyage into more than a historical commemoration. 

You can take part in this historic milestone when the Seneca Chief docks at Pier 26 this weekend. On Saturday, October 25 and Sunday, October 26, join us at Pier 26 to try woodworking with the Buffalo Maritime Center. On Sunday you can also join our River Project team to meet local marine life and learn more about how Hudson River Park connects people with our vital waterways.

We look forward to taking part in this statewide celebration and being part of this journey of connection, reflection and shared hope for the future.