History of the Mohawk Valley: Gateway to the West 1614-1925

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History of the Mohawk Valley: Gateway to the West 1614-1925
Big Lock and City of Little Falls

[This information is from Vol. II, p. 1769 of History of the Mohawk Valley: Gateway to the West 1614-1925, edited by Nelson Greene (Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1925). It is in the Schenectady Reference collection of the Schenectady County Public Library at Schdy R 974.7 G81h. This online edition includes lists of portraits, maps and illustrations. As noted by Paul Keesler in his article, "The Much Maligned Mr. Greene," some information in this book has been superseded by later research or was provided incorrectly by local sources.]

Big Lock and City of Little Falls

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Photo: Big Lock and City of Little Falls

View taken from south side Fall Hill. New York State Barge Canal construction involved some great engineering problems, one of the greatest being the cutting and building of the canal through Little Falls Gorge, where it follows a land line rock cut a mile in length. The Big Lock, with 40 1/2 feet lift, was the highest in the world when built and is now the highest in the Western Hemisphere.

History of the Mohawk Valley: Gateway to the West 1614-1925Big Lock and City of Little Falls

History of the Mohawk Valley: Gateway to the West 1614-1925
Big Lock and City of Little Falls