IN OTTOWA, THERE IS A PLACE WHERE VISITORS CAN REVIEW THE HISTORY OF RIVER
TRAFFIC, VIEW EAGLES, AND WATCH
BARGES.
AS WE DISCOVERED AT THE ILLINOIS
WATERWAY VISITOR CENTER.
RIVER BOATS WERE ONLY ABLE TO
MAKE IT INTO LASALLE.
FROM THAT POINT, THEY'D HAVE TO
TAKE THE CARGO OFF THE RIVERTON
RIVERBOAT AND PUT IT ON A CANAL
BOAT AND TRAVEL UP TO CHICAGO
THAT WAY.
THERE WAS NO CONNECTION FROM
LASALLE AREA UP TO CHICAGO.
THE LOCK WAS STARTED IN MID 19
20'S AND FINISHED IN 1933.
WHEN THE LOCK WAS ORNLLY
CONSTRUCTED, IT WAS DESIGNED TO
ACCOMMODATE ONE TOWBOAT AND
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF BARGE THEY
COULD PUSH AT THAT TIME WHICH
WAS EIGHT.
NOW WITH THE INCREASE OF BIGGER
BOATS, MORE HORSEPOWER WE HAVE
TO DO DOUBLE LOCKAGES.
WE HAVE TO TAKE THE FIRST
SECTION OF BARGES THROUGH AND
COME BACK AND GET THE SECOND
SET.
ONE BARGE WILL CARRY EQUIVALENT
OF 58 TRUCKLOADS.
WE HAD 15 BARGES, EQUIVALENT OF
870 TRUCKLOADS OUT ON THE
INTERSTATE OR 22,500 TONS.
HERE AT STARVED ROCK WE HAVE A DROP OF USUALLY AROUND TEN TO TWELVE FEET.
ON THE LOWER SECTION OF THE RIVER HERE, THEY ARE LIMITED TO 15 BARGES WITH THE TOE,
PRIMARILILY DUE TO SOME CURVES
ON THE RIVER.
THERE ARE EIGHT ALONG THE
ILLINOIS WATERWAY, EIGHT LOCKS
BETWEEN ST. LOUIS AND CHICAGO.
NORMAL TRAVEL TIME FOR TOWBOAT
FROM CHICAGO TO ST. LOUIS IS
ABOUT A WEEK.
ANY BOAT THAT COMES ALONG IS THE SAME AS A TOWBOAT, THEY COME IN, WE PREFER THEY RADIO IN AND TELL
US THEY ARE COMING, WE WILL OPEN
THE LOWER GATES, BRING THEM IN,
CLOSE THE DATES BEHIND THEM AND
RAISE THE WATER LEVEL UP.
THE WATER LEVEL IS THE SAME AS
ABOVE THE LOCK, WE WILL OPEN UP
THE GATES AND LET THEM ON THEIR
WAY.
WE HAVE DISPLAY AREA HERE BASICALLY TRACES THE HISTORY OF THE USE OF OUR WATERWAY FROM THE
BASE OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS TO
THE PRESENT.
WE DO HAVE A VIEW WHERE YOU CAN
ACTUALLY WATCH BOATS COME
THROUGH THE LOCK.
OUR SHOW PIECE IS PILOT HOUSE ON
OLD RIVER TOWBOAT.
IT WAS ORIGINALLY THE JEAN
MARIE, THE NAME OF THE BOAT
WHICH CHANGED JOHN M WARNER.
IT WAS BUILT IN 1943, OPERATED
ON THE RIVER UNTIL 1982 WHEN IT
WAS SUNK.
THE JOHN M WARNER WAS ONE OF THE
FIRST BOATS WITH A RETRACTABLE
PILOT HOUSE.
SO THE PILOT CAN BE UP HIGH AND
GET THE VISIBILITY OVER THE
STRING OF BARGES HE NEEDS.
THEN THEY CAN ALSO DUCK THE
PILOT HOUSE DOWN AND GET
UNDERNEATH THE LOW BRIDGES THAT
ARE UP IN THE CHICAGO AREA OF WE
HAVE A DIVER'S PUMP ACTUALLY
USED ON THIS WATERWAY WHEN THEY
DID THE EARLY CLEARING AND
CONSTRUCTION ON THE LOCK AND
DAMS.
IT WAS ABLE TO POWER TWO DIVERS
WITH AIR UNDER THE WATER, AND IT
TOOK A TEAM OF FIVE PEOPLE TO
OPERATE THE PUMP ITSELF.
TWO TURNING, ONE RESTING AND ONE
SUPERVISE OG.
IN ADDITION, WE HAVE A COMPLETE
DIVING SUIT, INCLUDING THE
HELMET AND THE CANVAS SUIT THAT
THEY USED.
THAT SUIT WAS ACTUALLY USED UP
INTO THE 70'S.
WE HAVE ONE DISPLAY CASE THAT IS
PRIMARILY NATIVE AMERICANS.
WE DO HAVE SOME ACTUAL ARTIFACTS
THAT WERE FOUND IN THIS AREA.
WE HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE WITH ALL THE RECOVERY EFFORTS, THERE ARE MORE BIRDS IN THE COUNTRY.
WHERE WE ARE, THE WATER BELOW
THE DAM NEVER FREEZES OF WE GET
TO SEE THE LARGE NUMBER OF
EAGLES COMING TO FISH.
THE MOST WE HAVE HAD HERE WAS 84
AT ONE TIME.
WE ARE ALSO ONE OF THE BEST VIEWS OF STARVED ROCK STATE PARK.
IF YOU ARE STANDING ON TOP OF
STARVED ROCK, YOU CAN'T SEE IT.
FROM OUR PLACE, YOU CAN GET A
REAL GOOD VIEW OF IT.
THE AREA FROM STARVED ROCK DOWN
TO HENEPIN IS CONSIDERED ONE OF
THE BEST WALL EYE FISHING SPOTS.
WHICH IS A GOOD INDICATION HOW
MUCH CLEERN THE WATER IS THAN
BACK IN THE 1970'S.
WE HAVE PLANS TO REDO ALL OF OUR
EXHIBITS TO MAKE THEM MORE
INTERACTIVE WHERE PEOPLE CAN
ACTUALLY DO MORE AND LOOK AT
LESS.
BECAUSE OF RECENT EVENTS, ALL LOCKS ARE OPERATING UNDER INCREASED SECURITY.
SO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT AT
CERTAIN TIMES THE VISITOR CENTER
COULD BE CLOSED WITHOUT NOTICE.