Maybe the falls at Little Falls are small, but they represent important stories for the Canal.
Lock 17 is the largest lock on the Canal. It's lift is 40 feet and it takes 5 million gallons to lift or drop vessels at one effort. Keep in mind that these locks do all this work without using any pumps. There are no engines involved. It is all just gravity flow of water in the Canal. Often it is diverted from the Mohawk River, but even that is done by gravity.
The town of Little Falls straddles the River. The town has developed from the first settlers in the mid-1600s. Initially, there was trade conducted with the several Indian nations in the area. But after the Revolutionary War, the Mohawk River increasingly became an important trade route connecting the Hudson River with the mid-west. Ultimately, in 1817, the first efforts were made to build the Erie Canal. Little Falls was an important part of this development.
Lumber, coal and mined materials were all transported. The importance of this east-west route cannot be understated. Look at a map and it quickly is obvious that the River was a key part of carrying material from the east coast to the mid-west. No other route existed that provided this linkage.
With the initial completion of the Canal, a new industry was introduced: cheesemaking. The cheese had to be salty enough to aid in its preservation so it could be shipped all the way to New York. Thus, New York Cheddar Cheese was created.
Ancillary industries developed as well, all related to cheese making. Rennet was an essential part of the cheese industry. Cheese manufacturing equipment was made in the area around Little Falls. The agrarian quality of the area was well-suited to providing the raw materials for cheese.
Even today, cheese making has become a craft industry with many areas of specialization. There is an annual fair in October devoted to cheese.
Brio will miss this!
Cheers,
Brio
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