By Dave Warner
LITTLE FALLS, NY – With the Erie Canal’s 200th anniversary underway, the replica Seneca Chief— a meticulously crafted symbol of New York’s pioneering spirit—continues its Bicentennial Voyage eastward from Buffalo. On October 11, 2025, it arrives in Little Falls at approximately 11:30 a.m., docking at Benton’s Landing until 5 p.m. and anchoring a community festival that blends history, education, and entertainment.
Historically, the Erie Canal’s completion in 1825 after eight years of construction connected Albany to Buffalo, slashing travel time from weeks to days and fueling the rise of cities like Little Falls as vital trade hubs. The original Seneca Chief, a packet boat carrying Governor DeWitt Clinton, led the inaugural flotilla, highlighting the canal’s engineering marvel—featuring 83 locks and elevating vessels 565 feet.
Today, the Buffalo Maritime Center’s 73-foot, 40-ton replica, built from 2020 to 2024 with volunteer labor and materials like reclaimed Douglas Fir and cypress planking, revives this story. The voyage, departing Buffalo on September 24, 2025, includes symbolic acts like planting white pine trees at ports and collecting water samples to nurture a final tree in New York City, emphasizing environmental stewardship amid the canal’s legacy.
Festival highlights include a welcome ceremony with local leaders from noon to 12:30 p.m., followed by tree planting and water collection. Crew-led tours and Q&A sessions start at 1 p.m., detailing the boat’s traditional build and the canal’s impact on Indigenous lands and ecosystems. Sterzinar Park hosts vendors, food trucks, and music by the BarRoom Neon Project until 2 p.m., with a special guest speaker and crew panel between 2 and 3 p.m.
Evening events shift to the General Herkimer Home at 4 p.m., featuring beverage tents, pumpkin bowling, wagon rides to the water’s edge lit by candles, and a bateau exhibit. A two-mile guided historical walk with lanterns connects the sites, supported by shuttles running from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Rock Valley Brewing’s Country Music Festival runs from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. with bands, food, and vendors.
Visit mylittlefalls.com/seneca-chief for updates. Contact: Dave Warner (315-867-9039, dave.warner@creativeoutpost.org) or Cathy Cristman (315-868-3248).
Supported by the NYS Canal Corporation and Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.