In 2007, Lois McClure embarked upon the Grand Canal Journey. The replica 1862 canal schooner left her home port at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum on June 18, 2007 to travel across the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. Over the course of four months, she stopped at more than 25 ports of call for tours, festivals, and celebration along the 1,000 mile voyage through the heart of Upstate New York.
This tour commemorated and celebrated the nationally significant Erie Canalway and New York’s contribution to the formation of the American nation. The 524-mile canal system, over 180 years old, is an engineering marvel that knitted together New England, New York, and the west, spreading commerce and ideas. The journey also showcases today’s canalside communities and the many historic, cultural, natural, and recreational assets they offer. Read more about this journey through the Ship’s Logs.
The Grand Canal Journey was a partnership between the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, and the New York State Canal Corporation.
