Lock No. 1, North New River Canal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Lock No. 1, North New River Canal
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View of lock looking east and showing wooden gate with rack-and-pinion mechanism
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 Location in Florida
Location in the United States
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| Location | Davie / Plantation, Florida, USA |
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| NRHP reference No. | 78000932 |
| Added to NRHP | 17 February 1978 |
Lock No. 1, North New River Canal is a really old and important lock in Florida. It's also called the Sewell Lock or Broward Memorial Lock. This historic lock opened in 1912.
You can find it on the North New River Canal between Davie and Plantation, Florida. It sits just south of Plantation on SR 84. Because of its history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in the United States on February 17, 1978.
Contents
What is Lock No. 1, North New River Canal?
Lock No. 1 is a special structure that helps boats move between different water levels. It's like a water elevator for boats! This lock is on the south side of the North New River Canal. It is about 54 miles (87 km) southeast of where the canal starts at Lake Okeechobee.
Building the First Lock
Lock No. 1 was the very first lock built in the South Florida canal system. This big project was started by Napoleon B. Broward. Two famous engineers, Major S. Sewell and Ben Johnson, designed the lock. The Furst-Clark Construction Company built it.
The lock had strong concrete walls that were six feet thick. It also had large wooden gates. These gates were moved using a special hand-driven system called a rack-and-pinion mechanism. This system helped open and close the gates to let boats through.
How the Lock Helped Transportation
This lock was a key part of the Everglades Drainage District. It played a very important role in how the New River Canal worked in the early days. The canal was like a major highway for boats. It connected Fort Lauderdale, the Everglades, and Lake Okeechobee.
Boats used the canal and the lock to carry many things. They brought lumber, farm tools, and people to towns like Okeelanta and South Bay. These towns were deep inside Florida, south of Lake Okeechobee. After dropping off supplies, the boats would then take farm products from these towns back to the coast. From there, the goods were sent north by train.
Lock No. 1 Today
Over time, the canal started to get too shallow for boats. Also, new roads and train tracks were built. Because of these changes, the lock was closed to boat traffic in 1926.
Restoring the Historic Lock
Even though it was closed, the lock was still important. After it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, local history groups wanted to create a park around it.
In 1992, the South Florida Water Management District made some changes. They removed an old flood control structure near the lock. Then, they built a new, modern concrete water control structure just west of the old lock. At the same time, different government groups worked together to fix up the lock. Now, Lock No. 1 is the main feature of Broward Memorial Lock Park.
