Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Little Falls, New York

Yesterday, we got into Little Falls early enough for me to wander around a little bit. At one time, LF was a thriving industrial town on the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal. With plentiful water power, access to barge and rail transportation east/west, the town became very prosperous. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever and the industries faded or went elsewhere as railroads, interstates, and cheap labor eroded the economic base. LF is one of the smallest towns we have stayed in on our cross-country adventure, but is undergoing a revival of sorts. They are renovating the factories and derelict buildings, for antique shops, restaurants, etc. Tourism may be the next boom business for LF.

The NY Barge Canal is 40.5 feet higher than the Mohawk River in Little Falls. There used to be three locks to lift barges from the river to the canal and back down; they were replaced by a single lock, making it one of the greatest lifts in the world. While commercial barge traffic is a thing of the past, the canal is still used by pleasure boats.

I met the man on duty at the lock and he gave me a quick tour. Can you say, "cool job?" In the picture of the lock, you can see how big it is by comparison to the van parked on the left.

1 comment:

  1. Oh Happy Day! The members of the Beach Bike Trek Team are delighted to report that they have internet access (though still no phone or television, but what is that compared with the great outdoors and a team of such steadfast and loyal biking chums?).

    The Fourth Rider thinks that the lock in your photo above is scary, and he had to look away. D2, however, would like to chase it. It looks like it might be slow, and therefore easily caught.

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