Starved Rock Lock and Dam

Starved Rock Lock and Dam, also known as Lock and Dam No. 6, is a lock and dam facility managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along the Illinois River. It is part of the Illinois Waterway and was constructed between 1926 and 1933. The lock and dam was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Starved Rock Lock and Dam Historic District in 2004.LocationAlong the original Illinois Waterway, Starved Rock Lock and Dam is the southernmost facility. The lock and dam are located along the Illinois River near the north central Illinois village of Utica. The lock and dam is at river mile 231 just upstream from Plum Island. The facility is presently operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.HistoryThe Starved Rock Lock and Dam was constructed between 1926 and 1933 as an element of the Illinois Waterway. The Waterway was a project designed to provide a navigable channel from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River. The contract for construction of the lock and dam was originally awarded in 1923 but fell through when the contractor failed to show up for the contract signing. Following a period of time during which land litigation issues were cleared, a second contract was awarded in 1926. The lock and dam was about 95 percent complete when the state of Illinois fell upon financial difficultly and the project was turned over to the federal government for completion. Under the authority of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1930 the federal government oversaw completion of Starved Rock Lock and Dam in 1933. Construction of the facility cost US$4,462,737; of that amount, $3,577,419 was provided by the state and $885,318 was federal money.