Fox River Aqueduct - Ottawa, Illinois
Posted by: BruceS
N 41° 21.132 W 088° 49.729
16T E 347011 N 4579469
Fox River Aqueduct was built for the Illinois and Michigan Canal to cross above the Fox River in Ottawa, Illinois.
Waymark Code: WM2RZJ
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 12/16/2007
Views: 75
"The massive Fox River Aqueduct stands as perhaps the single greatest
engineering feat on the I & M Canal. The construction of the 464-foot long
aqueduct was entrusted to a remarkable family, the Sangers. Family
patriarch David Sanger helped build the Erie Canal, and his son Lorenzo built
Lock 15 and the Joliet Penitentiary. Work on the aqueduct began in 1838 and
eventually cost over $100,000 ($2 million dollars in today's money), making this
one of the most expensive sections of the canal.
The steel trough that carried the canal was originally built in wood and
after suffering years of damage from ice jams, the original limestone piers were
recently repaired. Today the aqueduct provides a sense of the engineering
challenges of canal building. To keep water and boats moving 96 miles
between Chicago and LaSalle, the canal required culverts and dams, five
aqueducts, 17 locks, a pumping station and four feeder canals. While the
aqueduct no longer carries water, the I & M Canal State Trail traverses it,
giving hikers and cyclists an impressive view." ~ text of information sign