The Seneca Chief Replica arrives on the Seneca River Barge Canal waters in Montezuma 

The Seneca Chief Replica Voyage on the Erie Canal commemorates one of the most iconic moments in New York State and American transportation history — the “Wedding of the Waters” in 1825, when the original Seneca Chief carried Governor DeWitt Clinton and a delegation from Buffalo to New York City to celebrate the opening of the Erie Canal. In 1825 the Erie Canal opened the country to inland water transportation. By 1850 the canal had expanded and the Richmond Aqueduct in Montezuma was built to carry the Canal waters over the Seneca River.

On October 3, 2025, the Seneca Chief Replica passed by the Richmond Aqueduct. Greeters waved and cheered them on while a cannon fired in the background in honor of the original Seneca Chief traveling through Montezuma 200 years ago.

Thanks to John Kucko for visiting us and capturing this great shot of the Seneca Chief and the Richmond. 

As the Seneca Chief Replica travels the Erie Canal in 2025, it carries more than the memory of Governor DeWitt Clinton’s historic 1825 “Wedding of the Waters.” It also carries a message — one deeply rooted in the soil of this land long before the first canal shovel broke ground. It is the message of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy’s Tree of Peace, a symbol of unity, strength, and shared purpose that helped to shape the ideals of this Nation.

According to the Native American legend, the Creator sent a teacher, a Peacemaker, who appeared in the Finger Lakes region of New York to show the way to establish a higher order of human relations. The Peacemaker’s Great Law showed how to establish unity and balance among diverse human communities and distribute power in a democratic society to assure individual liberty. It was also perhaps the oldest effort for disarmament in world history called the Path of Peace. Through their direct contact with the Iroquois League, the founders of our country discovered this model for transforming thirteen separate colonies into the United States Grand Council.

Montezuma Heritage Park recognizes the Haudenosaunee as once keepers of this parkland and their important message of Peace. Four Eastern White Pines have been planted to carry on and grow the Bicentennial’s message. The trees were also planted by Old Mentz Heritage Center in honor of trustees passing this year: Paul Baker, Mellony Carner, Bumpo Gregory, and Bob Melvin. The legacy of their value in history will live on.