'Seneca Chief' embarks on voyage commemorating the Erie Canal's bicentennial

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Erie Canal boat “Seneca Chief” set sail from Buffalo on Wednesday morning to commemorate the canal’s 200th anniversary.

People packed the commercial slip at Canalside to see the Seneca Chief take off.

With the help of volunteers, the Buffalo Maritime Center built the replica boat between 2020 and 2024. It’s now headed on a 33-day journey, making 28 stops along the way.

“We’re gonna be hitting all of the towns on the Erie Canal that still survive, that are still on the canal that DeWitt Clinton had visited when he opened the canal 200 years ago,” said Buffalo Maritime Center Founder and Trustee John Montague.

The voyage will end in New York City. White pine trees will be planted along the way as a symbolic tribute to the Haudenosaunee.

Additionally, water from different areas of the canal or the Hudson River will be gathered and put into a barrel. The waters from across the Empire State will be used to nourish the final tree.

“We know that the Erie Canal helped build the United States and actually helped out the City of Buffalo,” said Buffalo Maritime Center Executive Director Brian Trzeciak. “But we also want to share the history that is often left out. That this boat is called the Seneca Chief. So, we have an opportunity to tell the story about the Haudenosaunee and how they were removed in order to build this canal.”

“Our two road journey is one where we not only acknowledge this shared complex history, but we also work together to make better futures for ourselves and for the stories before us,” said Indigenous Scholar Joe Stahlman.

If you would like to learn more about the Seneca Chief’s voyage, click here.