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| Locks
No. 27 Chain of Rocks Lock, also
known as Locks No. 27, is situated on the southern end of Chouteau Island near
Granite City, Illinois across the river from St. Louis at Mississippi River Mile
185.5. After 1940, only a single obstacle prevented the maintenance of a safe
and reliable 9-foot navigation channel on the Mississippi River from St. Paul to
New Orleans. This obstacle was a 17-mile series of rock ledges that began just
north of St. Louis known as the Chain of Rocks Reach. This stretch of river in
low water seasons was treacherous for towboats and barges, often requiring them
to wait up to several days for the river to rise. In the late
1940s and early 1950s the US Army Corps of Engineers designed and built a canal
to bypass this area. A low water dam was built just below the north end of the
canal and a lock was installed at the south end of the canal. These structures
ensured that the entrance to the canal had a sufficient water depth for the
towboats and barges. The Chain
of Rocks Dam (also known as Dam No. 27) is a non-moveable, low water dam and has no
above water structure. The dam was built by dumping tons of rock into the river
to create a small pool elevation upstream from the Chain of Rocks. Two small
buildings that look like miniature castles sit in the middle of the river and
house the water intakes for the St. Louis area water purification plant. The dam
created a 13,000 acres pool that stretches nearly 28 miles. Locks No. 27
consist of a 1200-foot main lock and 600-foot auxiliary lock and were opened in
February 1953. Locks No. 27 are the southernmost locks on the Mississippi River and
they are the only locks south of the confluence of the Mississippi River and
Missouri River. Locks No. 27 moves more cargo than any other navigation structure
on the Mississippi River. Due
to current security considerations public viewing of Locks No. 27 is very limited
and visitors interested in how locks and dams work and the Mississippi River in
general are encouraged to visit the Melvin
Price Locks and Dam located north of Locks No. 27 in East Alton.
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