Locks & Dam No. 15, Locks Operator's Shelter House, Arsenal Island, Upper Mississippi River, Rock Island, Rock Island County, IL

Significance: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' 1927-1940 Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Channel Project changed the free-flowing river into an intra-continental canal, regulated and controlled for the promotion of commerce. The 29 lock and dam complexes that comprise this slack-water navigation system constitute seminal developments in the technological history of American river navigation. Locks and Dam No. 15 was the first complex, and served, despite its unique features, as a prototype for the whole system. This Lock Operator's Shelter House is one of those unique features. It was only necessary because the auxiliary lock was complete and usable. Most complexes included only the upstream gate and footings for an auxiliary lock, and thus could be operated from the landward side of the main lock.
Survey number: HAER IL-27-A