Story by Sadiya Kherani
As upstate New York boomed in the decades after the Canal opened, it attracted a peculiar industry: prisons.
Story by Claire Harrison
Using the Erie Canal, Joseph Smith Jr. spread his new gospel and paved his way into religious canon.
Story by Kendall Luther
More than a trade route, the Erie Canal was a conduit for change, inspiring new ideas and connecting activists.
Story by Madeleine Oliveras
Canal laborers introduced styles and processes that are appreciated by breweries and beer lovers today.
Story by Jack Belanger
Early squads from Buffalo, Syracuse and Rochester have a rich history that continues to impact America’s pastime today.
Story by Julia Carden
The Town of Lyons honors its history producing mint oils and Erie Canal roots through art and preservation.
Story by Nate Harrington
The rise and fall of New York cities mirrors the growth of the Canal that created them.
Story by Pablo Bauzá
Water gave life to the town in Herkimer County, continuing to nurture the home of one of the Erie Canal’s biggest locks.
Story by Michela Flood
Discover how the Erie Canal connected communities, fueled economic growth and continues and transformed New York and the nation for 200 years.
Story by Nate Harrington
The cycle of infrastructure injustices in Syracuse could be ended if the teardown of I-81 is done right.
Story by Kiran Hubbard
Even 200 years later, these gravity-powered elevators still shape New York’s waterways and communities.
Story by Nate Harrington
As the Canal’s usefulness wanned, a businessman proposed a radical project to return the Canal corridor to prominence.
Story by Jesús Feliciano-Batista
From Gothic banks to Romanesque halls, Syracuse’s historic architecture reflects its canal-driven prosperity.
Story by Brycen Pace
Will Buffalo tear down their grain elevators, or preserve the invention that made the city a superpowered port?
Story by Sofia Abdullina
After white settlers turned Onondaga Lake into one of the most polluted in the nation, something remarkable happened: the eagles returned.
Story by Ankit Bandyopadhyay
During the Erie Canal’s 200th anniversary, Indigenous community members look at its creation as a source of generational trauma.
Story by Jana Seal
The Haudenosaunee were ready to live alongside settlers. The illegal seizing of their land for the Canal showed the settlers’ intention.
Story by Ellie Rockoff
From Three Sisters to crop rotation to seed preservation, Haudenosaunee farmers continue to share their wisdom.
Story by Manaswini Pillai
Designer and entrepreneur Mary Homer uses fashion to spotlight Indigenous voices and culture.
Story by Daisy Polowetzky
The Broken Plastics project transforms microplastics from water pollution to art displays.
Story by Ally Watkinson
Dozens of original paintings, sculptures and photos are on display at Fairport’s Railroad Street Artworks, just blocks from the Canal.
Story by Mathilde Refloch
The Albany Symphony’s Water Music NY series brings together diverse composers whose works explore the Erie Canal’s history.
Story by Julia Carden
Clara Riedlinger captures the historic spirituality of Central New York through photography.
Story by Julia Carden
A mural in the Canal town helps to illustrate and remember its connection to the waterway.
Story by Gia Rebstock
Just steps from the Canal, the Arkell Museum showcases American art and Mohawk Valley history from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Story by Julia Carden
Allyn Hess Perry shares the history of her 170-year-old home along the original Erie Canal.
Story by Jack Belanger
Veteran birding expert Steve Kinne is teaching others how to listen to the world around them — one birdsong at a time.
Story by Canal Keepers Staff
A podcast about the people who keep the spirit of the Erie Canal alive after 200 years.
Story by Ellie Rockoff
A new generation of farmers and food advocates are reconnecting the region to its agricultural heritage.
Story by Anna Ginelli
Harm-reduction strategies have helped push the overdose death rate down, signaling a promising shift in the battle against the opioid epidemic in New York. But the fight is far from over.
Story by Jesús Feliciano-Batista
The Erie Canalway Challenge attracts thousands of outdoor enthusiasts every year, inspiring them hit the trails, paths and waterways.
Story by Annie Labarca
Over the past half century, an army of supporters has helped bring the historic Camillus Erie Canal Park back to life.
