The Falls: Part Three

 Part Three:The Falls of the Ohio River's McAlpine Dam 

 

One of the great things about commuting by bike is you get a chance to see things you overlook or take for granted while driving.  Like a lot of you I live in a city ( Louisville, KY) which has so much to offer if you just slow down and look.

One of my bicycle commute routes to and from work takes me past some of the most historical places in Louisville, KY.  Just before the end of my bike to work along the river is the Falls of the Ohio River.  In previous posts of this series, we looked at the Interpretive Center, some of the fossils you see at the falls, and a brief glimpse of the McAlpine Dam and locks.  In this installment we will focus on an engineering marvel at the time it was constructed which allows us today to be able to view these archeological gems from millions of years ago.

The dam and flood gates are the only things which are holding the mighty Ohio River at bay.  Without this engineering marvel we would be engulfed by tons of water over 26 feet high.

 Before the dam;  navigation at the falls was not only dangerous but seasonal as well.  What I mean by seasonal is that during flood season (late winter and early spring) high water stages allowed boats to move over the falls through their narrow channels around rock formations and small islands.

 

Many have lost their lives and tons of cargo has also been lost as river goers attempted to conquer the falls of the Ohio River.  Even in modern times there have been barges which have broken away from their tow boats above the dam only to be tossed around by the treacherous waters of the Ohio River only to go over the dam or the floor gates and come to rest downstream at the falls.

When water stages were low goods were off loaded above the dam, taken by wagons to at the port in Louisville and downstream to Portland and reloaded back onto boats to be taken south on the Ohio River to the Mississippi and points beyond.

It was not until 1825 – 1830 when the first canal and locks were built did someone try and tame the falls.  With the help of the federal government; The Louisville and Portland Canal Company built a canal 50 feet wide, with three locks 190 feet long which at that time made those three the largest lock system in the world.  As they do today; these locks raised and lowered boats the 26 feet to compensate for the drop in height at the falls.  Still when the currents were swift; it was a tricky maneuver to pilot boats through the canal to the locks.

By the time of the Civil War, the locks had gotten to the point where they had out lived its capacity to handle the amount of traffic going up and down the river at the falls.  In 1874 the Army Corps of Engineers was given jurisdiction over the falls by Congress.  The Corps completed the first dam across the Ohio River at the Falls.

The 1920's saw more major improvements to the Falls.  A 600 feet long, 110 foot wide lock was built with a movable wicker dam while the canal was widened to 200 feet.  Additionally, a hydroelectric plant was constructed operated by the Louisville Gas and Electric Company.

Hydroelectric Plant upper right

From the 1960's to 2010, more changes have been made to the dam and locks at the Falls of the Ohio River.  The present day dam was completed in 1964.  It is huge.  

 

This section is more than 20 feet high. That tree on top is about 4 feet in diameter and 10 feet long. Perched there from high water earlier in the summer

There are nine (what I called) "Flood Gates" at the falls.  Five above the falls and four at the hydroelectric plant. They are connected by a concrete dam which runs almost two miles from above the Falls to the hydroelectric plant.

Five Flood Gates above the Falls.

In 2009 the most recent major improvement was completed at the McAlpine Locks.  A second1200 long lock and a susepension bridge was built to connect Shippingport Island.

 

McAlpine Lock 2014

Not only does the McAlpine Locks and Dam provide navigation around the falls of the Ohio River; it creates an excellent fishing and recreational area for locals and visitors alike.

Here is a short video of the final part of my Bicycling to the Falls of the Ohio River State Park.

If you ever get the chance to visit the Louisville,KY area, make sure you pay a visit to this archeological and historical park.  For more information visit the Falls of the Ohio River website:http://www.fallsoftheohio.org/

Ride your bike today and see what you have missed in your city