FIRST - Lock & Dam on the Ohio River - Pittsburgh, PA
N 40° 29.637 W 080° 03.857
17T E 579294 N 4483003
The FIRST of many locks and dams to make the Ohio River into a "water highway" is here in Pittsburgh. It also featured the world's FIRST rolling lock gate. These FIRSTS are memorialized by a Pennsylvania Historic Marker.
Waymark Code: WMXH1
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 11/04/2006
Views: 113
Here's a picture of the Davis Island Lock and Dam, which is far more interesting than what's currently visible at this location. You can see the West End Water Authority's sewage treatment plant from here, but no evidence of the former significance of this site.
Locks and dams are important things in Pittsburgh's history. Prior to the interstates, before the railroads, the rivers were the highways, and the locks made them navigable by creating pools. This area is called the "Emsworth Pool," named after the Emsworth Dam.
There is a historic marker along Route 65 at this spot. Here is the Marker Text:
"Below this bridge was the first lock and dam built (1878-1885) on the Ohio River. This was the world's largest movable dam yet constructed, and included the world's first rolling lock gate and widest lock chamber. Built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; replaced by the nearby Emsworth Locks and Dams in 1922."
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