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How did DeWitt Clinton celebrate the opening of the Erie Canal?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Map showing the route of the Erie Canal across New York state, running from Buffalo on Lake Erie in the west through cities including Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Albany, and ending at the Hudson River near Troy and Cohoes. The map also highlights nearby lakes, connecting canals, and major waterways in the region.
Erie Canal

To celebrate the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, Governor DeWitt Clinton and other dignitaries boarded the boat Seneca Chief in Buffalo and traveled the entire length of the canal to New York City.1

Upon reaching the conclusion of the trip, Clinton performed a symbolic act known as the "marriage of the waters" by emptying a keg of water from Lake Erie into the Atlantic Ocean.1