Anyone guess the location? The answer follows below. This shot of the Erie Canal taken in the 1950s would look very different if taken from same location today. The photographer took it looking east from canal infrastructure. A clue can be found on the left side of the canal a half mile or so down. If you know the answer at this point, why would this scene look completely different today?

Here’s another clue. This image was taken also looking east and about a mile west of the previous photo, west of the lock.

Here’s the answer. I took this photo from the bottom of lock 17. The guillotine gate was still open and i was looking back east. Note the difference? Just beyond the opening, note the Ted Wind Bridge spanning the canal. Between 1:25 and 1:50 of this video, the bridge is over the canal. The 1950s photographer took the photo from the high end of the lock. You can see an aerial view of the Wind Bridge juxtaposed with lock 17 here.

Here’s another shot show what the Wind Bridge does to the waterway.

Do you know an area of the canal that has been forever changed by construction?