We woke early on Thursday morning and were looking for the Federal lock which is technically the first lock on the Erie Canal system (
In the early 1900s, when state engineers were planning locations for locks on the Modern Barge Canal, they assumed that the first lock on the Erie Canal would be here in Troy on the Hudson River.
There was one issues that would muddy the waters though, the lock location in Troy was technically in federal waters, and thus under federal jurisdiction. At the time, New Yorkers hoped that because it was under federal control, the lock would be built by the federal government, and thus not at a direct expense to New York State which was already spending over 150 million dollars on canal improvements.
It was not immediately clear that the federal government would enlarge the existing lock here in Troy (there was a smaller lock for use by old Champlain Canal boats). Therefore while designing blueprints, particularly for the locks in
Waterford, they started numbering with
Lock E2 and not Lock E1, because of the uncertainty of who actually build the lock.
Ultimately the federal government built the lock and completed the necessary dredging in the area. They also retained operations and authority over the lock and thus it was call the Troy Federal Lock and Dam and not Erie Canal Lock 1. This numbering issue confuses boaters to this day. Many ask, if this is Erie Canal Lock 2, where is the first one? Many naturally point to the Troy Federal Lock, and they are right.)
We call the lock master and he finally told us to watch for a boat leaving the lock and TADA there it was. What had us spooked were the warnings about a submerged dam and all the warning buoys about a dam. You could not see it nor could you hear it. We made a bee line for the dam but could not see any ropes to grab onto. I called out and was told to loop a rope around a pole amid ship and hang on. So Tom went from bow to stern with the boat hook fending us off the wall and I held on to the rope. It was an interesting ride down.
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| boat leaving - there is the lock |
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| there really is a dam there |
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the black dogs on the edge of the fence are meant to scare the birds.
it doesn't work |
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| leaving our last lock - we are in the Hudson river |
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| there is the other side of the dam |
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| this is a lift bridge The current Green Island Bridge (shown in the photos) was opened four-and-a-half years later on September 12, 1981. Construction costs topped $23,000,000. The bridge is a vertical lift bridge which is raised only occasionally for river traffic. The two metal-covered frames, which straddle the roadway, house the counterweights and lift mechanisms. The lift bridge joins Troy and Center Island (once known as Starbuck Island), an island in the river. There is another bridge that connects Center Island with the village of Green Island (which is no longer an island). |
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| signs of civilization |
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on all the bridge buttresses ( I think that is what they are called)
we saw piles of tree limbs - signs of past flooding |
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We thought this was an abandoned rail bridge - then a train went over
while we were going under. I was waiting for a piece to fall off, the train went
very slowly across. |
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| skyline of Albany has many interesting buildings |
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This is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany.
It dominates the river front for miles |
