Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Welcome to another journey through Western New York. Today we're traveling from Rochester to Lockport, following New York Route 104 across Monroe, Orleans, and Niagara Counties.
This route traces nearly two centuries of growth and change. Our drive begins at the Kodak Center in Rochester, a reminder of the city's rise as one of America's great industrial centers. We'll then follow Ridge Road, an ancient shoreline that guided travelers long before modern highways existed. As we cross Orleans County, we'll explore how land purchases, frontier settlement, and the Erie Canal opened Western New York to farmers, merchants, and new communities. Finally, we'll arrive in Lockport, where one of the Erie Canal's greatest engineering challenges was overcome at the Niagara Escarpment.
This is more than a drive across Western New York. It's a journey through the region's evolution—from wilderness to farmland, from canal boats to railroads, from industrial giants to a modern economy built on education, healthcare, technology, tourism, and advanced manufacturing.
0:00 Kodak Center, Rochester NY
4:08 NY-104 NY-390 Interchange
5:36 Greece NY
20:26 Entering Clarkson, NY
27:19 Entering Orleans County, NY
37:51 Cobblestone Museum
49:06 Ridgeway NY
53:53 Entering Niagara County NY
1:00:41 Turning onto Hartland Rd, Gasport, NY
1:03:14 Turning onto Slayton Settlement Rd, Gasport, NY
1:08:44 Approaching Lockport. Turning onto NY-78 south to Lockport, Lockport, NY
1:10:42 Approaching Lockport. Turning onto Clinton St / NY-78 south, Lockport, NY
1:13:03 Turning onto Church St, Lockport, NY
1:14:23 Erie Canal Discovery Center, Lockport, NY
Welcome to another journey through Western New York. Today we're traveling from Rochester to Lockport, following New York Route 104 across Monroe, Orleans, and Niagara Counties.
This route traces nearly two centuries of growth and change. Our drive begins at the Kodak Center in Rochester, a reminder of the city's rise as one of America's great industrial centers. We'll then follow Ridge Road, an ancient shoreline that guided travelers long before modern highways existed. As we cross Orleans County, we'll explore how land purchases, frontier settlement, and the Erie Canal opened Western New York to farmers, merchants, and new communities. Finally, we'll arrive in Lockport, where one of the Erie Canal's greatest engineering challenges was overcome at the Niagara Escarpment.
This is more than a drive across Western New York. It's a journey through the region's evolution—from wilderness to farmland, from canal boats to railroads, from industrial giants to a modern economy built on education, healthcare, technology, tourism, and advanced manufacturing.
0:00 Kodak Center, Rochester NY
4:08 NY-104 NY-390 Interchange
5:36 Greece NY
20:26 Entering Clarkson, NY
27:19 Entering Orleans County, NY
37:51 Cobblestone Museum
49:06 Ridgeway NY
53:53 Entering Niagara County NY
1:00:41 Turning onto Hartland Rd, Gasport, NY
1:03:14 Turning onto Slayton Settlement Rd, Gasport, NY
1:08:44 Approaching Lockport. Turning onto NY-78 south to Lockport, Lockport, NY
1:10:42 Approaching Lockport. Turning onto Clinton St / NY-78 south, Lockport, NY
1:13:03 Turning onto Church St, Lockport, NY
1:14:23 Erie Canal Discovery Center, Lockport, NY
