Illinois and Michigan Canal Lock Number 1

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lock1 lockport2
Lock Number 1
I and M Canal

Lockport, Illinois


View of the first lock on the Illinois and Michigan Canal (I and M Canal). This waterway is just under 100 miles long and links the Chicago River to the Illinois River using an ancient Indian portage path. The I and M Canal ultimately makes it possible to travel from New England to Louisiana and beyond via the St. Lawrence Seaway, Great Lakes, IM Canal and the Mississippi River.

Completed in 1848, the I and M Canal helped make Chicago an important port city.

click to enlarge
lock1 lockport south
Lock Number 1
I and M Canal

This area originally had two gates that would close filling up the lock to the next level of the river


The I and M Canal is now part of the National Heritage Corridor and is open to the public. The original mule towpath exists today as a walking/bike path. Mules were used to pull barges along the length of the canal.

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