BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Seneca Chief boat is being commemorated on Saturday, in celebration of the Erie Canal's bicentennial.
The Buffalo Maritime Center had the help of over 200 volunteers who dedicated their time to reconstructing the 73-foot-long 40-ton boat in time for the bicentennial in 2025.
"There's a lot of cliches that explain it. Biting off more than you can chew or the dog catches the car. You know, there are any number of phrases and aphorisms like that. That proved to be true," said John Montague, the Founder of the Buffalo Maritime Center.
The Seneca Chief is the center's community-building project that started in 2019.
The boat will become a living museum and will make the same voyage the boat of the same name made in 1825 from Niagara Falls to New York City in September next year.
But it will go through sea trials first from now until the fall of 2025.
"When you're looking at Buffalo as a whole, as a city, we are a maritime city. We're the Queen City of the Great Lakes. This boat belongs here and hopefully, when people come down here, they see that," said Brian Trzeciak, Executive Director of Buffalo Maritime Center.
This boat is floating today because of the 200 volunteers who dedicated hours, days, months and years to its creation
"Teachers and plumbers and accountants and attorneys and college professors and it was this full mix painters and, and carpenters union and kids and bringing them along and having done something like this, you look at the quality of this thing and it's just amazing," said Roger Allen, Master Boat Builder for the center.
Man-made marvel: Buffalo Maritime Center launches Seneca Chief boat after four years of construction
As the boat makes it way towards NYC it will stop along the way to teach people about the history of woodworking skills and boatbuilding across cultures.
The Seneca Chief inauguration ceremony will be held Saturday at the Commerical Slip on Canalside.
"I came here from Florida and, you know, down there, the weather keeps you warm. But in Buffalo, the people keep you warm," said Allen.
You can learn more about Seneca Chief here.
