Join trail enthusiasts across the country on June 6 to celebrate the 34th Annual National Trails Day with a visit to Genesee Valley Greenway State Park. Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway will be hosting a special program at the c. 1840 Genesee Valley Canal Lock #2 in Chili. The canal was an attempt to connect the Erie Canal with the Ohio River Valley, being the highest canal ever attempted, with a summit level of nearly 1,000 feet. 

There were over 100 locks constructed but Lock #2 is the best preserved and remains easily viewable. Although the canal was never a financial success, its construction was a herculean task accomplished with simple hand tools. The Canal closed in 1878 and has been repurposed for use today as a multi-purpose recreational corridor.

Christopher Romanchock, Alfred University Adjunct Professor and local historian, will recount the building and operation of the Genesee Valley Canal accompanied by Alfred State College of Technology Professor Stephen Richard who will provide a discussion on hand-built construction techniques. State Park educator Jules Hoepting will lead a short walk through the lock’s 90-foot long, 15-foot-wide chamber. The event will also feature Brian Nagel from the Genesee Country Village and Museum who will describe a day in the life of a lock tender.

Come out to hear the stories of life during the era of canal expansion in Western New York. Marvel at the massive hammer-dressed cut stone blocks that were somehow lifted into place without the aid of power tools, learn how the wooden doors worked to let water in and out, and see the remaining hinges that made the doors open and close.