Lock 30 of the Enlarged Erie Canal was built between 1838 and 1841 in this location to allow for the efficient operation of the Schoharie Aqueduct, which carried the canal over, and totally apart from, the Schoharie Creek. Prior to the aqueduct's construction, the original Erie Canal had entered the creek itself, creating a hazardous crossing when the creek was flooding.
Because the aqueduct had to be high enough for the Schoharie Creek to flow freely underneath, the Enlarged Erie Canal had to be "stepped-up" to reach the eastern end of the aqueduct. Locks 30 and 29, about a half-mile east of here, raised the canal the 18 1/2- feet required to reach the level of the new structure.
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