When growing up in St. Louis, I sometimes saw the Mississippi River, and the Illinnois, and the Missouri. Looking for something which the theme for Sepia Saturday reminded me of.
How about The Upper Mississippi locks and dams?
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| By army corps of engineers - http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/About/Offices/EmergencyManagement/Flood/LocksDams.aspx, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47278018 |
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| Lock and dam Upper Mississippi |
Melvin Price Locks and Dam is a dam and two locks at river mile 200.78 on the Upper Mississippi River, about 17 miles (27 km) north of Saint Louis, Missouri. The collocated National Great Rivers Museum, at 1 Lock and Dam Way, East Alton, Illinois, explains the structure and its engineering.
Construction began in 1979, the main lock opened in 1990, and the full structure was completed in 1994. It replaced the earlier Lock and Dam No. 26, demolished in 1990, and is the first replacement structure on the Upper Mississippi River nine-foot navigation project. SOURCE: Wikipedia.
Note, Dam No. 26 does not show on the map pictured above.
I was taken by my father to see some locks on the Mississippi (I think) near Alton IL. My sister and myself went to college in Elsah IL, which is just north of Alton IL on the Mississippi. I think it was more likely somewhere near there. That would have been any time from 1950-1963 when I moved away. So it wouldn't have been the replacement Dam No. 26...maybe the original one.
Here's the original Dam No 26.
Lock and Dam No. 26 was a lock and dam located near Alton, Illinois on the Upper Mississippi River around river mile 202.5. (The Old Clark Bridge with a swing span rail bridge in between.)
Opened in 1938, its largest lock was 600 feet long. It was demolished in 1990 and replaced by the Melvin Price Locks and Dam, which is also known as Lock and Dam number 26. SOURCE: Wikipedia
Our college was Principia College. In 1934, Principia College graduated its first class as a full four-year institution and in 1935 the college was officially moved to its present-day location in Elsah. In 1993, about 300 acres (120 ha) of the campus was designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior. Source: Wikipedia Here.
I will go into more details about my college (or any early life) elsewhere!
The Great River Road, Illinois Route 100 14 mi (23 km) upstream of Alton. This shows how the bluffs look from the river level.
Here's the Sepia Saturday theme for this week. The water, boats and locks just struck me that I haven't seen anything like them since I was a girl.
I didn't know this, but your title mislead me for a moment since I live by another Mississippi River, so I was surprised at first at the mention of locks. This was before my brain engaged and I realized which Mississippi that someone was writing about. We do have locks on the nearby Rideau River, however.
ReplyDeleteI remember the first time I read your mention of the Mississippi River on your blog, and it didn't sound like the one I grew up around...so I had to look up a map of your area to find your own M. River. I was also surprised.
DeleteHello, interesting post on the river and locks. I love the view of the river road, very scenic. Have a great day and happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteYes, I used to love driving on that road to see the beautiful bluffs.
DeleteAmazing post. I am more familiar with the locks on New York's Erie Canal, but this map and your photos of locks and dams are impressive. Good that your campus was on bluffs above the river so you didn't have to endure flooding.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to think if I've ever seen a loch in Australia, I don't think I have. When I looked at your map I couldn't believe how many there were on one river - very interesting blog post.
ReplyDeleteLocks are interesting things. Sometimes I wonder, amusingly, about how people come up with ideas for their inventions - like carrying ships over mountains? (Panama Canal, for instance.) Kind of amazing.
ReplyDeleteI've read several books on travelling on the Mississippi River including Mark Twain's and daydreamed about taking a trip down it. In his biography Samuel Clemens did that as an old man and was amazed and disappointed at how the river had changed since he was a river pilot.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots.
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