Illinois Waterway, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, Rock Island, Rock Island County, IL

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office was chosen as address location; Illinois Waterway spans from Mississippi River at Grafton, IL to Lake Michigan at Chicago and Calument Harbors
Significance: The Illinois Waterway fulfilled a long time need in the Midwest for a navigable route linking Lake Michigan with the Mississippi River and beyond. The waterway is made up of Ohio River Standard Navigation locks with vertical lift, miter and sector gates, and dams with Tainter, vertical lift and Chanonine wicket gates. The various lock gate and dam gate types are the result of evolving technologies and reveal the influence of the Panama Canal on the first stage of the waterway's development. The waterway is significant not only for its role in transportation and industry in the Midwest but also for its extant wicket and Tainter gates.
Survey number: HAER IL-164
Building/structure dates: 1920-1933 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1939 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1957-1960 Subsequent Work