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The Grand Canal Journey of the Lois McClure
New Yorkers and visitors were invited to explore and celebrate the nationally significant Erie Canalway in 2007, as the 1862 replica canal schooner Lois McClure voyaged across the Empire State on a 1,000-mile Grand Canal Journey.
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, in partnership with The New York State Canal Corporation and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, sponsored the voyage to showcase the many historic, cultural, natural, and recreational assets of today’s canalside communities. In the course of the Lois McClure’s travels from July through September, more than 30,000 people from 40 states and 11 countries stepped aboard for free tours offered in more than 25 communities in the Canalway Corridor.
The voyage achieved a number of goals detailed in our Preservation and Management Plan. The journey:
• reinforced the Canalway as a living and working system,
• promoted regional collaboration,
• educated the public on the historical significance of the canal, and
• helped communities market their cultural, recreational, and educational opportunities.
Extensive media coverage of the Lois McClure’s journey appeared in every major newspaper outlet throughout the state, as well as on numerous television and radio stations.
As the primary sponsor, the Commission raised over $300,000 from state and corporate partners to underwrite the voyage expenses and marketing. Our thanks go to our partners and to the following voyage sponsors, whose generous support made the Grand Canal Journey possible: National Grid, KeySpan, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets-Pride of New York, Cabot and McCadam Cheese, Brookfield Power, and Saratoga Water.
In addition, we extend our thanks to Mid-Lakes Navigation Company in Skaneateles for generously donating a two-day cruise on the Erie Canal and Red Mill Inn in Baldwinsville for donating a two-day stay to Lois McClure raffle winners.
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Read Ship's Log
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