History, Natural History & the Arts
As America marks its 250th anniversary, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is launching Revolutionary Experiences, road trips along New York’s historic waterways.
These self-guided itineraries invite participants to explore the people, places, and ideas that helped shape the nation. [Read more…] about Erie Canalway Launches “Revolutionary Experiences” Tours
New York’s canal building boom and the urban explosion that it triggered dramatically accelerated the dispossession and disruption of traditional life ways of the region’s Native American inhabitants that had been initiated by the introduction of European trade, diseases, colonial wars, the American Revolution, and encroaching settlement by non-natives. [Read more…] about The Erie Canal’s Impacts on Indigenous People
The Canal Corporation is actively monitoring Tropical Storm Debby and is preparing to lift the Erie Canal’s Movable Dams between Lock E-8 in Rotterdam and Lock E-15 in Fort Plain beginning at 9 am on Thursday, August 8, 2024.
The lifting of the movable dams will result in the full lowering of the canal to winter levels and therefore its closure in this area. The storm’s exact path remains uncertain, but impacts are expected by late Thursday or early Friday. [Read more…] about UPDATE: Canal System Users: Prepare for Tropical Storm Debby
William Christian Bouck was born on the cusp of a new year, January 7th, 1786, but also at the cusp of a new nation emerging on the world stage. Until his death in April of 1859, Bouck was the quintessential “salt of the earth” farmer turned politician and bureaucrat – a man of the new republic.
Born in Fultonham, Schoharie County on lands settled by his Palatine German great-grandfather, Bouck emerged early in life to be devoted to labor. First, manual labor on his father’s family farm, toiling sunrise to sunset or beyond. This limited his education to that of only the local common school, but it’d be noted later in his career that his education was that of experience and observation. [Read more…] about Gov. William C. Bouck and the Erie Canal: A Friend of Labor
As the population of interior New York increased, developers pushed for a faster method of transportation between the area and developed population centers like the city of New York.
The Erie Canal, completed in 1825, revolutionized inland travel and ushered in a broader era of canal construction across the state, connecting the state capital of Albany on the Hudson River to Western New York and the Great Lakes. [Read more…] about The Canal Era in the Finger Lakes
The Champlain Canal turns 200 this year and the Erie Canal will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2025.
The Champlain Canal between the Hudson River and Lake Champlain at Whitehall was the first to open. Worked started on the Champlain Canal in October, 1816. The first boats operated in November, 1819, and was fully completed in 1823, two years before the Erie Canal was finished. [Read more…] about New York State Canals Bicentennial: Some History & Plans For Celebrations
In celebration of Great Outdoors Month, The New York State Canal System, including the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca canals, is getting special recognition from the U.S. Department of the Interior as one of the nation’s newly designated National Water Trails. [Read more…] about Canalway Water Trail Added to National Recreational Trails System
The NYS Canal System is scheduled to open on Friday, May 20th at 7 am for the 2022 navigation season.
Standard hours of operation will be 7 am to 5 pm until October 12th, but busier locks and lift bridges will be open on demand until 10 pm. If adjustments to the schedule are necessary, the public will be notified accordingly. There are no tolls or fees for recreational use of the Canal system this year. [Read more…] about New York State Canal System Opens May 20th
As part of the bipartisan omnibus spending package signed by President Joe Biden on March 15, 2022 the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission was reauthorized to 2037.
The Commission manages the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, which was established by Congress in 2000. The Corridor spans 524 miles across the full expanse of the upstate New York. It includes the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain Canals and their historic alignments. The Corridor encompasses 4,834 square miles in 23 counties and is home to 3.2 million people. [Read more…] about Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Reauthorized to 2037
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, along with the New York State Canal Corporation, has launched the NYS Canalway Water Trail Stewardship Program to help ensure the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Champlain, and Oswego canals are welcoming and safe for paddlers. [Read more…] about NYS Canals Seek Volunteer Paddling Stewards
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has announced the winners of this year’s Erie Canalway Photo Contest.
435 images were judged in four contest categories: On the Water, Along the Trail, Canal Communities, and Classic Canal. Judges selected first, second, and third place winning images in each category, as well as 12 honorable mentions. [Read more…] about Erie Canalway Photo Contest Winners Announced
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has recently installed new signs to mark the NYS Canalway Water Trail at more than 140 launch sites along the Erie, Champlain, Cayuga-Seneca, and Oswego canals.
The blue and yellow signs are intended to help paddlers identify safe put-in and take-out sites from the water and assist with wayfinding to launch sites from land. [Read more…] about Signs For Paddlers Installed Along Canalway Water Trail
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has announced a call for entries for its 15th annual Erie Canalway Photo Contest.
Images should convey the unique character of New York’s canals and canal communities. Entries must be postmarked by August 28, 2020. Winning photos will be featured in the 2021 Erie Canalway calendar. [Read more…] about Erie Canalway Photo Contest Call for Entries
Portions of the New York State Canal system are scheduled to open on Friday, June 26, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. for the 2020 navigation season.
Major construction and maintenance at several locks continues. [Read more…] about Portions of Erie Canal Opening Friday
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has invited New Yorkers to take part in the 2020 Canalway Challenge, tracing history and tracking miles along New York’s canals and Canalway Trail.
Part fitness challenge, part journey of discovery, the Canalway Challenge is free and registration is open to people of all ages and abilities. [Read more…] about Canalway Challenge Promotes Health and History
The Canal Society of New York State is seeking an Executive Director to ensure fulfillment of the Society’s mission and strategic plan and to implement administrative procedures for the day-to-day financial and operational oversight of the Society’s properties, staff, collections and programs. [Read more…] about Canal Society of NY Seeks Executive Director
The 2020 New York State Canal Conference will be held October 4-6, 2020 at the Rivers Casino Event Center in Schenectady.
This year’s conference will explore the trends and opportunities in the regional and international waterway systems. [Read more…] about 2020 NYS Canal Conference Being Held In Schenectady
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has released a New York State Canalway Water Trail Guidebook and Navigational Map Set.
The complimentary guidebook and maps include a mile-by-mile description of launch sites, paddler-friendly facilities and amenities, and places of interest for over 450 miles of the NYS Canal System, which opened Friday, including the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego and Champlain canals. [Read more…] about New Paddling Guidebook for State Canal System
A new study of the economic impact of events and tours in the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor estimated $1.5 billion annually is generated by events, boat tours, bicycle and paddle-sport rentals and historic site/museum tours along the Erie, Champlain, Owsego and Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Events and tours drew 3.3 million visitors in 2017.
The economic analysis was conducted by Level 7 Market Research for the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor through its nonprofit affiliate, the Erie Canalway Heritage Fund, Inc., and supported by a grant from Market New York through I LOVE NEW YORK, the state’s Division of Tourism, as a part of the Regional Economic Development Council awards. [Read more…] about Report: Canal Events Generate $1.5B Annually
The National Park Service has announced that it has listed the New York State Barge Canal on the National Register of Historic Places. The designation recognizes the New York State Canal System as a nationally significant work of early twentieth century engineering and construction that affected transportation and maritime commerce for nearly half a century.
The New York State Barge Canal National Register Historic District spans 450 miles and includes the four branches of the state’s canal system: the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca canals– all much enlarged versions of waterways that were initially constructed during the 1820s. The nomination evaluated 791 features and included 552 contributing structures and buildings. [Read more…] about NYS Barge Canal on National Register of Historic Places
Use your bank’s “bill pay” option (or just send a check)
Thanks for your support! These are difficult times. Without your support we cannot publish the Almanack.
*Donations are not tax deductible.
(Click the X in the top right corner this box to not see this message again for 7 days).