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Interpreting the Evidence

Erie Basin Canal Boats, c. 1900

  • Documents in this Activity:
  • Historical Eras:

    Turn of the Century and WWI (1890 - 1930)

  • Thinking Skill:

    Historical Analysis & Interpretation

  • Grade Level:

    Lower Elementary
    Upper Elementary
    Middle School
    High School
    College University

  • Topics:

    Erie Canal
    Transportation

  • Primary Source Types:

    Photograph

  • Regions:

    Western New York
    New York State

  • Creator:

    NYS Archives Partnership Trust Education Team

  1. Load Erie Basin Canal Boats, c. 1900 in Main Image Viewer

Suggested Teaching Instructions

Document Description
Tightly packed canal boats in the Erie Basin, circa 1900.
 
Historical Context
A lock is a water-filled chamber with huge gates or doors at both ends.  Locks were usually built in a series up the sides of a hill or mountain. The construction of the original five-step locks in Lockport presented a major engineering challenge.  The canal had to rise up a cliff of solid rock that was sixty-six feet high.  The locks were blasted out of the cliff by the canal workers.  The double set of five combined locks was the design of Nathan S. Roberts.  One set of locks was for ascending traffic that was headed west, and the other set was for descending traffic heading east.  The town that grew up around this set of locks became known as Lockport.
 
Essential Question
How does technology affect a community?
 
Check for Understanding
Describe the scene in the photograph and explain how development of the canal impacted local communities.
Historical Challenges
Compare today’s lock to the five-step lock.
 
Interdisciplinary Connections
Science: Create a diagram displaying the lock mechanism and how it works.
English Language Arts: Write a first-hand account of being a passenger on a canal boat while progressing through the five-step locks.