Future cartographers will locate the confluence of the Little Lehigh Creek and the Lehigh River as south, and slightly east of the current LCA sewage plant. Historians will know better. Up to forty years ago, nature joined the Little Lehigh with with western channel of the Lehigh, halfway down the side of Kline's Island. Around 1970, the City of Allentown decided to reclaim the river channel north of the confluence, ending Kline's status as an island. What is now the last section of the Little Lehigh, was previously the Lehigh. The map shown was produced in 1900. Also gone from current geography is the man made harbors, shown north of the Hamilton Street bridge. The new google map shows that the
former bridge to Kline's Island still stands, crossing the now reclaimed former west channel of the Lehigh River. Also visible is the footprint of Allentown's former gas tank.
Mike why did they fill in the channel? Was that Bracy or Bartholomew that authorized that idiocy?
ReplyDelete@9:54, i don't know the official reason at this point. i asked a former engineer with the city, but he came on board after the decision was made. as i will post in the near future, my family owned some of the land adjoining the former channel. my guess is that the purpose was to reduce flooding, to protect the sewage plant. i will make some inquires.
ReplyDeleteThanks MIke. I've asked around as well and no one seems to remember anything. Weird.
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