Experience the canal like never before
Explore the five outdoor installations at Canalside — portals to the Erie Canalʼs enduring impact. Discover Indigenous, Black, and immigrant stories, the entertainment and vice of the Canal District, and the commerce at the Western Terminus that shaped our world we know today. Be sure to visit all the Thresholds and step into the Longshed for the Waterway of Change exhibit!
Credit: Local Projects and Matthew Digati
Waterway of Change: Complex Legacies of the Erie Canal
Through an interactive multimedia experience featuring short films, touchscreens, audio, historical artifacts, and dramatic lighting, visitors of all ages and abilities can discover Buffalo’s rapid growth in the 19th century. The Longshed exhibit shares personal stories, highlights the technical innovations behind the canal’s construction, and celebrates the vital role immigrants have played – and continue to play – in the city’s development.
Get tickets to the LongshedCredits
Thank you to these organizations for the use of the content featured in this installation.
Indigenous Experience
Image:
The Great Peace… The Gathering of Good Minds, Raymond R. Skye, Six Nations Grand River Territory, Turtle Clan.
Featured in this audio:
Grand Mother Jackie Labonte, Mohawk Nation, Turtle Clan
Perry Ground, Onondaga Nation, Turtle Clan, Haudenosaunee Storyteller and Cultural Educator
Peter Jemison, Seneca Nation, Heron Clan, Historian
Darryl Tonemah, PhD, Kiowa/Comanche/Tuscarora, White Bear Clan
Music by:
Franklyn McNaughton, Onondaga Nation, Beaver Clan, Singer
Quinna Hamby, Tuscarora Nation, Singer
Narrator & Producer:
Michele-Elise Burnett is of European, Métis, and Algonquin Heritage, Bear Clan
Audio Engineer:
William L. Reich Jr. is of European, Métis, and Algonquin Heritage, Bear Clan
Entertainment and Vice
Featured in this audio:
Mike Vogel, Author and Historian
Music:
Buffalo Gals, performed by The Pickard Family, recorded on January 31, 1929, courtesy of the Internet Archive
Producer:
Michele-Elise Burnett is of European, Métis, and Algonquin Heritage, Bear Clan
Audio Engineer:
William L. Reich Jr. is of European, Métis, and Algonquin Heritage, Bear Clan
Composer:
Geneviève Gros-Louis, Huron-Wendat Nation, Deer Clan
Industry and Commerce
Image:
Courtesy Library of Congress
Featured in this audio:
David Gerber, PhD, UB Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of History
Mike Vogel, Author and Historian
Music:
Miss McLeod's Reel, performed by Prince’s Orchestra, 1913, courtesy of the Library of Congress National Jukebox
The Star Spangled Banner, performed by Victor Mixed Chorus with orchestra, 1914, audio, courtesy of the Library of Congress National Jukebox
Producer:
Michele-Elise Burnett is of European, Métis, and Algonquin Heritage, Bear Clan
Audio Engineer:
William L. Reich Jr. is of European, Métis, and Algonquin Heritage, Bear Clan
Composer:
Geneviève Gros-Louis, Huron-Wendat Nation, Deer Clan
Black Experience
Featured in this audio:
Barbara Seals Nevergold, PhD, Educator, Community Historian, and Author
Music:
Swing Low Sweet Chariot sung by the Fisk University Jubilee Singers, 1909, courtesy of the Library of Congress, National Jukebox
When All the Saints Come Marching In by the Paramount Jubilee Singers & Taskiana Four, 1923
Producer:
Michele-Elise Burnett is of European, Métis, and Algonquin Heritage, Bear Clan
Audio Engineer:
William L. Reich Jr. is of European, Métis, and Algonquin Heritage, Bear Clan
Composer:
Geneviève Gros-Louis, Huron-Wendat Nation, Deer Clan
Immigrant Experience
Featured in this audio:
Timothy Bohen, Author and Historian
Edward J. Patton, Author, Historian, and Genealogist
Music:
Low bridge! Everybody down!, performed by Billy Murray with orchestra, 1912, courtesy of the Library of Congress National Jukebox
Producer:
Michele-Elise Burnett is of European, Métis, and Algonquin Heritage, Bear Clan
Audio Engineer:
William L. Reich Jr. is of European, Métis, and Algonquin Heritage, Bear Clan
Composer:
Geneviève Gros-Louis, Huron-Wendat Nation, Deer Clan