b'other tour boat operators on the canal, they have developedroute. Captain Tammee Poinan Grimes noted that one of PHOTO: BUFFALO HARBOR CRUISES, CANAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK STATE (REMAINING ARTWORK)FOGHORN FOCUS an Erie Canal Tour Boat Passport that passengers can obtainpassengers favorite experiences is passing through a lock. and get stamped at each location for a special prize. Facts about Lock E32 in Pittsford, which they typically cruise through, always amaze the crowd. The lock is about The lock Erie Canal Cruises passes through, Lock 18, re- a 25 lift, takes approximately 2.8 million gallons of water tains nearly all the original operating equipment that wasto fill, and is still fed all by gravity.installed in 1914. The area around Lock 18 is unique in that the three Erie Canals are next to each other, with the origi- Buffalo Harbor Cruises offers narrated sightseeing cruises nal tow path that the mules pulled vessels on now serving asthat highlight the history of the city of Buffalo, and they the Erie Canalway Trail that spans from Albany to Buffalo. speak to the Erie Canal and its importance to the city and its economic, cultural, and industrial development. To mark In honor of the canals 200-year anniversary, a replica ofthe bicentennial, they will extend their public cruise sched-the Seneca Chief has been constructed by the Buffalo Mar- ule this year to include the celebration in September and will itime Center, and on September 24, 2025, will embark onoffer more detailed narrations dedicated to the Erie Canal.a bicentennial voyage from Buffalo to New York Harbor, commemoratingGov.DeWittClintons1825inauguralMarla, a narrator with the operation, likes to take folks journey. PVA member the Colonial Belle will be a part of aback to the seedy side of Buffalo when Canalside, the site flotilla when the replica Seneca Chief passes through theirof the old Erie Canal terminus, was home to dance halls, area at Fairport, N.Y., on its journey this fall. dive bars, and ladies of the night. In fact, Dugs Dive was a notable saloon in Buffalo and is believed to be where the On the Colonial Belles narrated cruises, volumes of canalterm dive bar originated. The proprietor was William historyareshared,alongwithinformationaboutstruc- Douglas, a former slave, and the bar was located under a tures,buildings,andwildlifethatguestsseealongthetowpath at the terminus of the Erie Canal. Patrons would Clockwise from top left: Buffalo Harbor Cruises shares fun facts about the canal including a bar located under a towpath at the terminus of the Erie Canal where the term dive bar originated.; opening day of the barge canal in May 1915.; The canal in Syracuse circa 1870.; A depiction from 1873 of life on the canal.; A boat at Rexford Aqueduct circa 1900.FOGHORN 32'