Shorpy / Livingstone Channel: 1910

[Crystal]

"Livingstone Channel, looking east." Construction of the navigation channel along the Detroit River circa 1910.

http://www.shorpy.com/node/10126

[Hamtragedy]

I'm stumped. What/where is it?

[BillyBBrew]

Lower Detroit River on the west side of Bois Blanc [[Bob-Lo) Island. The Amherstburg Channel on the east side of Bois Blanc is for upbound vessels, and the Livingstone is for downbound vessels, except during winter when it's used in both directions as a traffic controlled one way channel.

[1KielsonDrive]

Lower Detroit River on the west side of Bois Blanc [[Bob-Lo) Island. The Amherstburg Channel on the east side of Bois Blanc is for upbound vessels, and the Livingstone is for downbound vessels, except during winter when it's used in both directions as a traffic controlled one way channel.

Quite a man-made feat. Coffer dams to stop the flow of water, digging and blasting rock from the bottom of the channel to create a dedicated 'sluice' way channel for shipping traffic. Named after the same Livingstone of Belle Isle lighthouse fame, resident of Detroit and Grosse Ile and President of the Lake Carriers Association based in Cleveland. Now, I'm in no way trying to upstage BillyBrew in regards to Great Lakes Shipping history - he has me hands down. Just thought I'd add a little information while Billy's in the john.

[1KielsonDrive]

Okay Billy, help me here. How long has the Livingstone been used for two-way winter traffic? I assume that's to save on ice-breaking in the Amherstburg Channel?

[BillyBBrew]

1K, as long as I can remember. They do it mainly because of the removal of the floating aids to navigation and the fact that the Livingstone is a straight shot with fixed lights, whereas the Amherstburg has turns and different currents and is harder to navigate, especially without the buoys. They don't officially close the Amherstburg, it's more of a "use at your own risk" kind of thing. If there's going to be a delay waiting for a downbound ship to clear the Livingstone, some ships opt to use the Amherstburg anyhow. The only recent change is that they are also now allowing upbound traffic to use the channel if there is no conflicting downbound traffic. Used to be only during high winds, low visibility, but now it's kind of an option that's open to use it anytime, traffic permitting.

The Livingstone actually does have issues with ice building up in it. The current carries the ice down and eventually it jams and plugs up like a bathtub drain full of hair until the plug of ice is sometimes as deep as the channel itself. The Rock Cut channel at the Soo has the same issues every winter.

You actually gave a very nice summary of the engineering feat it was. Also, not ironically, the ship that opened the Livingstone Channel was the ... are you sitting down?....Str. William Livingstone, with her namesake aboard.

It's actually a cool channel, looks kinda like a runway at night with the flashing lights all in a row looking down into Lake Erie.

[Zacha341]

You always nail it BBB!

Lower Detroit River on the west side of Bois Blanc [[Bob-Lo) Island. The Amherstburg Channel on the east side of Bois Blanc is for upbound vessels, and the Livingstone is for downbound vessels, except during winter when it's used in both directions as a traffic controlled one way channel.

[MikeM]

The river before the cut:

http://historicalcharts.noaa.gov/his...0Em_03_1906_LS