Lock One North was one of 105 locks used to raise and lower boats traveling between Lake Erie and the Ohio River on the Miami and Erie Canal. Large wooden gates at each end of the lock held water in place as a mule-pulled boat entered through an open gate, which was then closed. A wicket gate in one of the gates was opened to let water raise or lower inside the lock until it matched the next stretch of water, after which the front gate was opened so the boat could continue. The lock gate's gate collar and anchoring irons held the top of the gate in position, while T-braces and corner braces reinforced the frame, and a turn key opened and closed the wicket gate. The lock tender manually opened and closed the large wooden gates by pushing on the huge handles of the 7,000 pound gates. Completed in 1845 at New Bremen, the original Lock One North was built of white oak for its strength, resistance to deterioration, and availability. It was replaced in 1910 with a concrete lock, and the present concrete structure, the third lock on the site, was rehabilitated and rebuilt between 2006-2007. That work carefully preserved the appearance of the 1910 lock by using concrete forms designed to replicate wooden planks, reusing several wrought iron anchors from the south-side swinging gates, fabricating other metalwork to match the 1910 construction, and reusing the original footers of the 1845 lock. Construction of the Miami and Erie Canal relied on hard work and hand tools, and because horses were scarce, men with wheelbarrows hauled the dirt, trees, and stumps removed from the canal path from sunrise to sunset for about 30 cents a day and a jigger of whiskey.