b'descend a steep, slippery set of stairs to enter, sometimescannot be understated. When the canal opened in 1825, diving into the bar based on the water level. The areaBuffalo was a tiny town of around 2,500 people, trying around Dugs Dive and Canal Street was known for itsto rebuild after being destroyed during the War of 1812. rowdy and dangerous reputation, once called the wick- TheopeningoftheErieCanalbroughtwestwardex-edest street in the world. pansion right through Buffalo and with it, new residents and opportunities for commerce. The grain elevator was Each summer Grand Lady Cruises does a Cruise for a Causeinvented in Buffalo to help deal with congested harbors as series to help raise money for charitable organizations andlake ships and Erie Canal boats converged on the Buffalo non-for-profits. This summer, they are partnering with thewaterfront. The city became the worlds largest grain port Buffalo Maritime Center for one of these events, with aand culturally became home to many different immigrant portion of ticket and bar sales to be donated to the centersgroupswhocreatedneighborhoodsforthemselvesthat efforts. They are also planning a special cruise later in thelargely still exist today. season to celebrate Erie Canal folk music. Grand Lady Cruises 90-minute narrated History Harbor Jenna Deegan with Grand Lady Cruises shared that herCruise will take guests along the Buffalo River past Ele-personal favorite fact about the Erie Canal is that it wasvator Alley, the densest collection of grain elevators in the originally such an unpopular idea that construction beganworld as the Buffalo River winds along towards Lake Erie. right in the center of the state. It seems that officials wereBefore arriving at the lake, the cruise will pass Canalside, worried that if they started at one side of the state the proj- the original terminus of the Erie Canal.ect would be abandoned before it could be completed. Mike Casella, also with Grand Lady Cruises, mentioned Her team also explains to guests the importance of thethat one of his favorite items to cover on the tour is how canaltothehistoryofBuffalo,whichDeegannotedBuffalo became the western terminus of the canal. It was a 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 1900.33 JUNE 2025'