Showing posts with label canalChamp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canalChamp. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Old Champlain Canal Lock #8 (Hewitt's)

(Satellite?)


Hudson river Lightkeeper posted
Canal Favorites - Hewitt's Lock in Mechanicville on the Champlain Canal
[A comment says "it's marked on Google Maps," but every search criterion that I could think of did not find it.]

tug44
In winter 2008, we visit Old Champlain Canal Lock 8 in Halfmoon NY. This was a 9 foot lift lock built around 1862. This photo was taken from the ice over a few feet of water, caution.

Cori Willson posted
Fleet locking through Champlain Canal lock #8

I could not find the location of the lock.
1893/93 Cohoes Quad @ 62,500

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Champlain Canal Sidecut to Mohawk River in Waterford, NY

(Satellite)

These locks are next to Barge Canal Lock #2.
There was a sidecut to the Hudson River down in Watervliet, NY.

Note the "sidecut" sign on the post.
Matt Korona posted
A boat entering the Champlain Canal in 1880

Jevon Waldron commented on Matt's post, cropped
I am pretty sure this is Waterford. this is the same house in background of pic.
[Street View, Jul 2022, Satellite]

I could not find Jevon's house until I saw it in the background of this view.
Kim Young, May 2023

Barge Canal Lock #2 on the left and the sidecut channel on the right.
Street View, Jul 2025

The above view was taken from the bridge in the background of this photo. The concrete wall on the right is part of Lock #2.
Josh Schmid, Mar 2022

On the sides, we can see part of the notches that held the gates when they were open.
DivingDancer, Sep 2018

Friday, December 5, 2025

Erie and Champlain Canals' Weight-Lock and Sidecut to Hudson River in Watervliet, NY

Weight-Lock: (Satellite)
Sidecut: (Satellite)



This lock is downstream of where the Champlain Canal joined the Original and the Enlarged Erie Canals so that it could serve both canals.

Syracuse has preserved its weight-lock and turned it into a museum.

Joel Torres posted five photos with the comment: 
Visited the remains of the Watervliet Weight-Lock also known as The West Troy Weighlock.
It operated until 1915.
Tom Page: I believe there were originally five weighlocks on the Erie Canal: Albany/Watervliet, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo.
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3, cropped
[They left out the step that the lock has to be drained before it can be weighed.]

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Hudson River Lightkeeper commented on Joel's post

Hudson River Lightkeeper commented on Joel's post

Steven Duuck commented on Joel's post
Area around Weigh Lock Watervliet
[Now I understand what the "cutoff" canal was. Note that they could go to the Hudson River only after they paid their tolls.]

Hudson River Lightkeeper posted seven images with the comment:
Celebrating 200 Years of the Erie Canal 1825-2025
West Troy Weigh-lock and looking north to Lock 3
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Hudson River Lightkeeper posted four images with the comment:
Celebrating 200 Years of the Erie Canal 1825-2025
Watervliet Upper Side-cut entrance to the canal from the Hudson River
Hudson River Lightkeeper shared
Mieczkowski Edward: If I have this figured out right the first canal barges on the “Clinton’s Ditch” Erie could carry as much weight as two modern tractor trailers.
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Hudson River Lightkeeper posted six images with the comment:
Celebrating 200 Years of the Erie Canal 1825-2025
Watervliet
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[According to Photo 6 below, the bridge is Broadway. So this is the upper sidecut lock..]

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Hudson River Light Keeper posted 8 photos with the comment:
Celebrating 200 Years of the Erie Canal 1825-2025
A few more images of Watervliet
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Watervliet Canal Boats waiting on the Hudson River.

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Erie Canal at 23rd St.

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13th St. Bridge looking north.

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14th Street Andersonville and 2nd Avenue on left.

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14th Street Bridge over the Erie Canal.

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Abandoned Erie Canal through Arsenal 13th St looking south.

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23rd Street and Broadway. Filling in the side cut.

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23rd Street and Broadway. Filling in the side cut.

Cori Willson commented on Photo 2

This map implies that Broadway was today's NY-32. But I think that today's Empire State Trl was Broadway and NY-32 was the canal.
1953/55 Troy South Quad @ 24,000

Sunday, November 9, 2025

Juncta Junctions of Erie and Champlain Canals in Cohoes, NY

1825: (Satellite)
1862: (Satellite)

The Champlain Canal joined the Erie Canal in Cohoes to access the Eastern Terminus and Lock #1 at the Hudson River. 

It is not too often that an 1893 topo map is not old enough to show something. This shows the 1862 enlarged canal rather than the original 1825 canal.
893/93 Troy and Cohoes Quads @ 62,500 via Dennis DeBruler

Fortunately, this reference shows both of the old canals and the New York State Barge Canal.
Adam Dubec posted two images with the comment:
Historic Canal Routes Around Cohoes Falls and Canal Map of the State of NY Lock and Power Stations
Historic Canal Routes Around Cohoes Falls showing the Original and Enlarged Erie Canal Routes.  The enlarged Erie Canal had 72 total lift locks and 16 of these were in Cohoes-Watervliet area and the greatest concentration of locks along the Erie Canal that reduce shipping time from New York City to Buffalo from three weeks to just eight days the cost per ton of transporting cargo from New York City to Buffalo also dropped from $100 to less than $10 with it's peak year in 1855 when 33,000 commercial shipments took place at one time more than 50,000 people depended on the Erie Canal for their livelihood.
Enlarged Erie Canal : In 1837, New York State began a project to enlarge the canal by making it wider (70’ vs. 40’), deeper (7’ vs. 4’), and replacing the single chamber locks with double chamber locks to permit two‐way traffic at each lock. The Original Erie Canal had 19 locks in Cohoes; the Enlarged Erie Canal reduced this to 10 locks. Of those locks (from Lock 9 near Alexander St. to Lock 18 on North Mohawk St.), portions of all remain visible except Lock 13.
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Adam Dubec posted
juncta  Painting of 'Juncta' by John Hill, 1834 NY Historical Society
The intersection of Saratoga and Main Streets, at the southern end of Cohoes, marks “Juncta,” a once lively neighborhood where the Erie and Champlain Canals came together. This 1834 view shows the first of a closely spaced series of 18 Erie Canal locks that lifted and lowered boats past Cohoes Falls.

Adam Dubec posted two images with the comment: "juncta  View Of The Junction Of The Northern And Western Canals  02."
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hmdb

Hudson River Lightkeeper posted four images with the comment:
Celebrating 200 Years of the Erie Canal 1825-2025
The "Juncta"
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Given the date and the lock numbers, I think this was the junction between the enlarged canals. But it has no identifying landmarks, so I used the above topo map to determine the location.
Adam Dubec posted
Juncta Junction Of The Champlain With The Erie Canal on an 1890's map

Chester Hartwell commented on Adam's post

Adam Dubec posted
Easton & Albert canal boat that often passed thru the Cohoes canal systems, in Saratoga County
James Williams: That dog is adorable.

Hudson River Lightkeeper commented on a post: "The original 'Juncta' of the Erie canal with the Champlain Canal was located at Dyke Avenue in Cohoes. After the enlargement of the canal the junction was relocated south to Maplewood by Erie Street and Canal Street. From there the Erie turned west and Champlain went north."
My satellite locations are within a block or so of these locations. I think my location for the enlarged canals junction is more correct. I'm not as confident about the location of the original canals junction.