Local Voices: A Labor of Locks
Get to know Dave Chatt, head of the historic Flight of Five lock operations on the Erie Canal, and learn how to make the most of a visit to Lockport.
“Lockport is the locks. That’s why we’re here,” says Dave Chatt, a retired mechanical engineer who now spends his time supporting Lockport’s famous Flight of Five Locks, which are considered one of the Erie Canal’s greatest feats of engineering. From doing a favor for a friend to becoming the recipient of the Niagara History Center’s “Key to the Locks” Award, Chatt’s retired life is in lockstep with the Erie Canal.
![](https://niagara.imgix.net/images/Locks-demo.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=0ada4c5d077857cf37c8fe1a1d874513 320w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/Locks-demo.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=255fb37f526cdbed27d566bfc2137113 540w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/Locks-demo.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=e6a3e3904682c4a68a369b4f075e2387 768w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/Locks-demo.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=b3ca1147ff57705b902d2460bc189492 1024w)
Unlocking the potential
It all started with a favor. Ten years ago, Lockport native Chatt was asked by a friend to come down to the Erie Canal Flight of Five Locks and perform a lock tending demonstration for onlookers. While Chatt and his companions had never done this kind of engineering before, “we learned it quickly,” he says. Not long after, Chatt became enamored with the workmanship and community he found at the locks and asked to join the board. He is now the vice chairman of the board and head of historic lock operations at the Lockport Locks Heritage District Corporation.
As part of his duties, Chatt, assisted by his teams of volunteers, performs demonstrations of the 19th-century Flight of Five Locks every Saturday through the summer for tourists. The demonstration includes manually operating the wooden lock gates and pulling a hand-built docent vessel, called the Erie Traveler, between the locks. “The water spills over the gates when we fill the lock; it’s about an 18- to 20-foot drop,” he says. “There’s something dramatic about that. It really looks cool.”
Chatt received the annual “Key to the Locks” Award in 2017 for his work interpreting the Lockport Locks and bringing them to life for the public. “It was a complete shock,” he says. “To receive that award was special.”
Lock District activities
Lockport is growing a tourism base. Whereas the city used to be a stopover on the way to Niagara Falls, several folks have recently told Chatt they came to the area specifically to see Lockport. “During demonstrations,” he says, “I get people who tell me they came to see the locks. We’re becoming a destination.”
But there’s much more to explore in Lockport beyond the locks. Visitors can learn more about the history of the area at the Erie Canal Discovery Center, the Locks District Museum and the Lock Tenders Tribute. Erie Canal tours are available for folks who want to get out on the water or take a guided walking tour by land, including an audio tour of 10 narrated destinations around Lockport.
Chatt recommends checking out LocksDistrict.com to plan your visit: “It’s a really good guide to what we offer here.”
Lockport is the locks. That's why we're here.Dave Chatt
![](https://niagara.imgix.net/images/LockportLocksErieCanalCruises-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=320&q=80&w=320&s=cdb958eb011c5808cca7977e7c1b423e 320w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/LockportLocksErieCanalCruises-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=540&q=80&w=540&s=b2a61d637ddbd05681dd3c88315d7bc5 540w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/LockportLocksErieCanalCruises-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=768&q=80&w=768&s=911b1555ee93b82a7a06a2d82a55f643 768w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/LockportLocksErieCanalCruises-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1024&q=80&w=1024&s=fb2a00441b19e9d7bbd223e7a8b7a8a8 1024w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/LockportLocksErieCanalCruises-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1200&q=80&w=1200&s=483a11c2cca14c8a6023f1363f2688d7 1200w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/LockportLocksErieCanalCruises-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1440&q=80&w=1440&s=53e14e559526e010321e0a7c2b497921 1440w)
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