The “Big Bridge”

Lockport’s first bridge across the canal stood at the extreme eastern end of the Big Bridge as a narrow log bridge wide enough for only one-way traffic, with a log on either side as guard rails, and as the Main Street Bridge it was the town’s only crossing over the canal, which was forty feet wide at the time. In 1843, during the first enlargement of the Erie Canal, another wooden bridge one hundred five feet wide was built to carry Main Street traffic across the canal, though it stood west of Main Street’s direct line. By 1851, part of the bridge was used as a marketplace. The current Big Bridge, completed in 1914, became one of the widest bridges in the world and represented a tremendous engineering achievement. Leonardo da Vinci, who lived from 1452 to 1519, was a painter, sculptor, engineer, and scientist remembered especially for the Mona Lisa; his methods for canalization remained in practice, and he also developed the lock system for canals.

Lockport, New York · United States