Most people react in surprise when they are told that the Conestoga River was once navigable for commercial traffic. Canoes and kayaks, sure, but boats carrying cargo? It’s hard to imagine today. The City of Lancaster is known as the country’s oldest inland city, how could it be a port city? But, as we shall see, the Conestoga River was once navigable from Lancaster to the Susquehanna River. In fact, Lancastrians of the 19th century boasted that one could board a steamboat at the landing at Lancaster and sail by water all the way to Paris! Kautz and Webber’s presentation will include an overview of the Slackwater canal system that once existed on the Conestoga River from Lancaster to the Susquehanna River, photos of remnants of its locks as they appear today, and a brief history of the Conestoga Navigation Company. A Q&A session will conclude the presentation.