🏛️ Marseilles Lock and Dam

The Marseilles Lock and Dam, also known as Lock and Dam 5, is a lock and dam complex on the Illinois River at Marseilles, Illinois. The complex includes a lock, dam, control station, boiler house, and a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) section of navigation canal. The state of Illinois began work on the complex in 1920 by digging the canal, which was completed in 1925. The state also began construction on the lock, dam, and control station; however, due to financial difficulties these projects were finished by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Walter Mickle Smith was chief design engineer for the complex. The complex was completed in 1933. The lock has a drop of 24 feet.