As communities celebrate the Erie Canal’s Bicentennial, this panel will explore its lesser-known legacy – the profound impact on Indigenous peoples and the environment. While the canal represents innovation and economic growth, its construction and expansion came at a significant cost. The discussion will focus on the urgent need to amplify the suppressed stories of those displaced by the canal’s creation.

This event is presented by the Buffalo Maritime Center and will take place outside the Hangar Building near the Commercial Slip.

The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) is presenting the 2025 Erie Canal Bicentennial Commemoration at Canalside in Buffalo, NY from Memorial Day through September. The EC200 Speaker Series will take place in the Buffalo Naval Park’s Hangar Building on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM.

Speakers will include subject matter experts regarding Buffalo’s Erie Canal heritage and those who were key in helping develop the Waterway of Change: Complex Legacies of the Erie Canal exhibit in the Longshed Building.