If you haven't seen it, the New York Times featured the College's
celebration of the Erie Canal on the front page of the Metro section on Tuesday.
The article, by Winnie Hu, centered on the College's ambitious
retrospective of the waterway and the fact that it was the College – not the
city of Schenectady – that celebrated the opening of the canal in 1825.
City leaders, fearful that the canal would take business from the city, left
it mostly to Union College students to join in the elaborate opening celebration
that included a barge parade with prominent officials, cannon salutes and
fireworks.
Ultimately, Schenectady's fears were unfounded; the Erie Canal brought an
economic boom to communities along the waterway, including Schenectady, one of
the busiest stops along the route.
The article went on to list the College's extensive celebration: an exhibit
of surveys and engineering drawings, paintings, models; a series of nine
lectures and concerts; and trolley tours of local canal sites.