Starved Rock Lock & Dam - IL Waterway at North Utica, IL
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 41° 19.465 W 088° 59.180
16T E 333764 N 4576674
Lock & Dam at Starved Rock. I was lucky to be there when a barge was being let through. They have a very nice Visitor Center so seeing and learning about the lock is very easy.
Waymark Code: WM3F0Z
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 03/26/2008
Views: 52
The Illinois Waterway system consists of 336 miles of water from the mouth of the Chicago River to the mouth of the Illinois River at Grafton, Illinois. It is a system of rivers, lakes, and canals which provide a shipping connection from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River. A series of seven locks control water flows from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River system. Primary shipped cargoes are coal to powerplants, chemicals and petroleum upstream and corn and soybeans downstream primarily for export through New Orleans.
Before the dam was built, the Illinois River was narrower and shallower. The Illinos Waterway Project was enacted by Congress to provide a permanent 9 foot deep navigable channel between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi for commercial boat traffic. The lock opened on March 4, 1933. The Northwest Ordiance of 1787 allows boats to lock through the river at no charge. The locks can handle 8 barges and a tow with cargo weighing 12,000 tons at one time.
The Visitor Center opened July 16, 1978, and has a viewing platform to watch boats and barges pass through the locks.
Waterway Name: Illinois Waterway
Connected Points:
The IL Waterway originates from Lake Michigan at Chicago, IL and ultimately ends at the Mississippi River.
Type: Lock
Date Opened: 03/04/1933
Elevation Difference (meters): 6.00
Site Status: Operational
Web Site: [Web Link]
Date Closed (if applicable): Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Logs marked as “visits” should be made after physically visiting the waymark location. Include a picture taken during the visit. Notes may be logged by individuals who have visited the web site or looked at the online information and would like to provide comments or feedback on the waymark.