This month, Buffalo hosts the World Canals Conference. This international meeting brings waterway experts to Western New York to share innovations in the operations, sustainability, tourism, and heritage of inland waterways. The timing of the conference in Buffalo corresponds with an important date in New York’s history. This summer marks the 200th anniversary of the completion of the first all-water link between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes: the Erie Canal.
The Erie Canal and Ralph Wilson Park
New York’s inland waterway affected countless cities, towns, and places throughout its history. Children all over the state learn about the Erie Canal in school. Many residents, young and old, visit the locks, bridges, aqueducts, and power houses that make up the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. While these preserved architectural elements of the canal are familiar to many, other aspects of the waterway’s history are less well-known. One of those is the west end branch of the canal that once cut through our park.
Many Buffalonians, while familiar with the Erie Canal, do not realize the waterway once went through today’s parklands. Traveling parallel to where the 190 runs today, this section of the canal provided passage to those making their way to the very end of the line, downtown Buffalo.
Photo: Aerial view of Buffalo in July 1932 showing both the former section of the Erie Canal and the park. Citation: Collection of The Buffalo History Museum. General photograph collection, Buffalo Views.
This section of the canal operated for many years. It was eventually abandoned, suffering a fate similar to other sections that did not see the traffic its engineers dreamed of. In spring of 1934, the state legislature determined the fate of this abandoned stretch. The Wojtkowiak-Bernhardt bills transferred the title to the city of Buffalo and that section of the Erie Canal was filled in. This decision was an effort to stop its use as a dumping ground. Instead of becoming a public health hazard, the unused waterway was transformed into more greenspace for city residents. What once transported people, objects, and ideas along an inland water system was instead used to expand an urban park.
Fast forward 90 years and the Erie Canal entered this park’s history again. This time, the historic waterway was used to transport Ralph Wilson Park’s new pedestrian bridge. Just last year, an Italian-made bridge travelled to Buffalo using the still operating sections of the Erie Canal. In July 2024, tens of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors alike watched the 266-foot pedestrian bridge make its way across the state. The bridge was then installed in October 2024. Once opened next year, Buffalo’s newest architectural marvel will connect local neighborhoods to a legacy park transforming the waterfront for the present and the future.
A Role for Heritage When Building for the Future
In the 1930s, the park lost its visual link to the historic Erie Canal. Despite this, the waterway that transformed New York State history continues to be a part of this park’s history. Last year, Ralph Wilson Park gave new purpose to the Erie Canal. In doing so, it expanded the historical link between our urban greenspace and New York’s inland waterway.
Using the Canal to transport a park bridge meant to mold this area’s future highlights how heritage and history can be employed even in a future-focused civic project. History can still matter, even when building something new for the present and future. Intentionally deploying a historic waterway to transport a major new element of park architecture through communities all over the state is one example of how revitalizing urban parks can link past, present, and future.
Lead photo: Aerial View of park in 1932, the Erie Canal still cutting through it. Collection of the Buffalo History Museum. Goldome/Nagle photograph collection, Picture .G65, Canals
Article written by Kathryn Grow Allen. To read more about the project this article is a part of, check out our HEP page for past and future reading on heritage-building at Ralph Wilson Park in Western New York.
