Aug 10, 2024 – Youngstown, NY
The Erie Canal is an important part of this area’s history. And this end of the canal is especially interesting because it is here that it has to rise up and over the Niagara Escarpment. The “Flight of Five” in Lockport, NY, a combined staircase lock, is the most dramatic set of locks making that lift.
The canal runs right through the middle of town. As it happened, the place we found to park our car was on a bridge right over the Flight of Five. And, as we got out of our car we looked down to see a 40 foot replica freight boat lock down in one of the restored locks practically right underneath the bridge.
The town of Lockport is charming and was busy with visitors. We toured the Erie Canal Discovery Center right near where we were parked. Then we walked down to the locks themselves. The Seneca Chief, a full sized canal boat replica, was on display and we were able to walk through the boat. While the exterior was complete, the interior had yet to be built out. It will be central to a 2025 bicentennial celebration of the canal’s completion when it will be run from Buffalo to New York Harbor, commemorating Gov. DeWitt Clinton’s 1825 inaugural journey of the canal.
Originally the Seneca Chief would have been horse or mule drawn. But, since the original town paths no longer exist it will be drawn by a small tugboat and be accompanied by a small runabout to help nudge it into docks when necessary.
The Flight of Five is actually a restoration of original locks. Today traffic actually transits the canal by a modern canal that runs alongside the original canal. While the original canal could only lift a boat twelve feet, using wooden gates and manual labor, the new locks use only two to make the sixty foot lift.
We wrote earlier that Bill’s great grandfather finished his 1910 trip on his boat, the WAWA, at Tonawanda, just a few miles beyond Lockport and he would have transited Flight of Five at the end of his trip. We learned this day that he just made it in time through the original locks and that the following year construction began to replace them.
Leaving Lockport, we headed to the town of Olcott. Sandy had read about its replica lighthouse, its novel shopping area and a carousel. Driving into town our first impression was that it was pretty hooky. The lighthouse was just an appropriately shaped plywood building with literature racks inside.
And the Lakeview Village Shoppes along the waterfront were the typical touristy-type stores.
But then we were swayed when we walked to the carousel.
Turns out that it was one of the features in the Olcott Beach Carousel Park. Entry to the park was free and it was filled with kid-sized carnival rides. You had to buy tickets for the rides, of course, but they only cost twenty five cents.
It was wonderful. An old amusement park, it had been abandoned and was in decay. A group of volunteers slowly rebuilt it and operate it today.
To top it off, beside the Carousel Park was Krull Park, a large, beautiful, lakeside county park with tall trees for shade, picnic tables and pavilions and a small beach. Yes, the tiny town of Olcott is pretty cool!
Aug 11, 2024 – Youngstown, NY
The area really is rich with history. Fort Niagara guarded the entrance to the Niagara River. The Niagara was especially important because it was the gateway to the rest of the Great Lakes and the center of the continent. And the French and the English were competing to expand their territories into the center of the continent.
We took a short, guided tour of the fort and then poked around the rest of the fort on our own. The fort was originally built by the French. They pacified the indigenous people by saying the three story building was really just a trading post.
The fort fell to the British in a siege in 1759. The story of how they achieved that siege was interesting, digging zig-zag ditches at night to advance cannon batteries bit by bit until they were within just 100 yards of the fort.
The fort, now a state park operated by a non-profit, is the scene of a large reenactment every year.
We had to make due with only a musket demonstration and a blacksmith at work. The musket demo was a real treat with a uniformed reenactor who was both expert and funny.
Later today we drove into Lewiston where they were holding the Lewiston Art Festival 2024. The affair celebrated all forms of art. The street was lined with stands featuring artists and fine crafters and the small park featured music and dance. Sandy perused the street displays while Bill listened to the end of a set by a local blues band. Following the band’s performance there was a dance contest, but not the kind of dance we usually think of.
Six nations of indigenous peoples, the Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca and Tuscarora live in this area. They work hard to keep their culture and language alive. Dance is an important part of their culture and they hold a contest featuring dancers of different age groups, each group demonstrating multiple, short dances. The competitors were young, ranging from grade school age to young adults. All were traditionally dressed in clothes with headdresses that denoted the nation to which they belonged.
After another busy day we repaired to the campground and prepared a dinner of salmon, Brussels sprouts & rice.