Crossing The River

When a canal had to cross a waterway such as a river,the engineer had a few options. The usual way was to build an aqueduct to carry the canal over the river. Where the I&M Canal met the DuPage River at Channahon,IL an aqueduct was not possible,due to the fact that the river and canal were almost at the same level. So the solution here was to dam the river to create an almost perfectly still pool of water at the point where the canal was to cross. Locks were then built on both sides of the river,one to lower boats going downstream to river level,and one to lower boats exiting the river to canal level. To enable mules and horses to cross,a floating towpath was constructed. The picture which accompanies my blog shows Lock 7 in the foreground,the DuPage River in the middle and Lock 6 can be seen in the background. The dam was built southeast of the crossing. The floating towpath is long gone,replaced by a walking and bicycling path for modern day people to enjoy.