The Seneca Chief Sets Sail Again — 200 Years Later

On October 26, 1825, the Erie Canal was completed. Governor DeWitt Clinton and other dignitaries led a flotilla from Buffalo to New York City on a canal line boat called the “Seneca Chief” to celebrate the occasion. A cannon was fired, setting off a relay of cannons along the canal route, signalling the start of the event. The second boat in the flotilla was “Noah’s Ark,” which housed pairs of animals found in western New York along with two Seneca Boys in their traditional regalia. The procession stopped at cities along the way to deliver speeches. Ten days later upon arrival at New York's harbor, Clinton ceremoniously poured Lake Erie water into the Atlantic Ocean to symbolize the “wedding of the waters.”

By 1825, many people of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy had been displaced by settler colonization. In 1784, the United States and New York State used treaties to punish the Haudenosaunee for their roles in the American Revolution. Between 1785 and 1792, the Haudenosaunee who remained in New York faced overwhelming pressure to give up their lands. The Erie Canal was constructed through this land following the Revolution and the War of 1812.

Now, a replica of the Seneca Chief will embark on the same journey.

The Buffalo Maritime Center has constructed a full-sized replica of the Seneca Chief, with a goal to engage the community in learning traditional boat building skills, and to foster awareness of the Erie Canal’s lasting impact on the state and country. Hundreds of volunteers participated in the construction, which took place inside the Longshed at Canalside on Buffalo’s waterfront from October 2020 to June 2024.

In September 2025, the Buffalo Maritime Center crew will embark on a voyage to commemorate Gov. DeWitt Clinton’s journey, docking at 28 ports along the Erie Canal and Hudson River before reaching New York City. Through their educational programming, the Buffalo Maritime Center is working to broaden the Erie Canal’s narrative - highlighting not only the canal’s economic influence but also its cultural and environmental consequences.

Chapters:
Intro 0:00
Building the boat 2:33
The name 5:33
Bicentennial journey 7:15

Image credits:
Buffalo Maritime Center
Fenimore Museum, Cooperstown, NY
John Montague
New York State Archive

Want more info on this topic? Check out the resources below:

Buffalo Maritime Center
https://buffalomaritimecenter.org/eri...

The Haudenosaunee & the Erie Canal Exhibit
https://buffalomaritimecenter.org/mus...

Origin of the Seneca Chief Name
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r9gN...

Learn more about Reflections on the Erie Canal at https://wmht.org/ErieCanal