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.

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

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