Hennepin Canal Lock #4 and Aqueduct #1

Lock: (Satellite)

Aqueduct: (Satellite)

Hennepin Canal Overview

Andy Zukowski posted
Birdseye view of Chicago, Ottawa & Peoria Trolley Tracks West Of  Bureau,  Illinois. C1910

John Schlegle: A historic Bureau Co. photo showing 3 modes of transportation crossing over East Bureau Creek. The Hennepin Canal (Lock #4, Aqueduct #1), Rock Island RR and C, O, & P Interurban ran parallel from Bureau Junction to this point (SW of Princeton) where the interurban (right) began heading towards Princeton. Present day Hornbecker's Garden sits on the bluff directly above Lock #4. The remains of the Aqueduct & Interurban Bridge can still be found today.

Dennis DeBruler: John Schlegle Thanks for identifying the lock and aqueduct.

Market Street Stub for Chicago's Lake Street "L"

Terminus Depot: (Satellite, the stub was removed when Waker Drive was built.)

David M Laz posted
DID YOU KNOW THAT? Once upon a time, there was an "L" stub that ran from the Lake Street "L" and ended in front of the Opera House on Market Street (now Wacker Drive).
Alan Follett: Yes; the original downtown terminal of the Lake Street ‘L’, before it was connected to the Loop. It was abandoned in 1948.
Leonard Carey Williams: Samuel Insull's station he owned the Opera House he owned the trains he would park his private car at the end of the line it was good while it lasted
Paul Webb shared

Nicholas J Vetrovec commented on David's post
It was the fist section of the L built in the Loop and was part of the Lake Street Elevated rail known as the Market Street stub 1893. It was supposed to be removed in 1897 when they opened the fist section of the Loop but wasn't removed until 1948 leaving way to extend the double decked Wacker Drive. https://www.chicago-l.org/stations/market_term.html 

We can see the junction of the stub with the line that now connects with the Loop. Also, on the right side of the photo, we can see the stub going south of Randolph Street.

Frank Piha posted
Chicago 1925. No Merchandise Mart yet. There is a train station where the Mart will be built. The Chicago Temple Building on the SE corner of Clark and Washington was the tallest building in Chicago from 1924 to 1930. The Franklin/Orleans bridge is raised. The Clark bridge pivots.
[The construction of Wacker Drive is in progress at Wolf Point, but they have yet to clear the buildings along South Water Street. However, this photo must be after Aug 31, 1925 because that is when the replacement produce terminal opened. So South Water Street is now vacant, and the buildings can be cleared for Wacker Drive.]

Comments on Frank's post

This map shows that the terminus depot was just north of Madison Street.

Terry Gregory commented on Frank's post

1915 Gillett and 1922,1983 Pearl Street Bridges over Grand River and Removal of Four Dams in Grand Rapids, MI

Gillett: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Pearl: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; HAER; Satellite)

Richard Gillett Bridge

This was an interurban bridge, it is now a pedestrian bridge.

Trail View, Aug 2025

HistoricBridges_gillett

Looking North:

Photo by Joe Ross via BridgeHunter_gillett

Pearl Street Bridge

HAER MICH,41-GRARA,11--2
2. VIEW SOUTH, NORTH ELEVATION - Pearl Street Bridge, Spanning Grand River at Pearl Street, Grand Rapids, MI

"Significance: The bridge is a good example of open spandrel type arch construction, as described in engineering textbooks published during the first quarter of the twentieth century. This type of bridge construction is labor-intensive, and this design would not be considered cost effective or competitive in today's market place. The bridge setting is prominent and highly visible from adjacent commercial, public and park areas." [HAER_data]

HistoricBridges_pearl

"The loss of the original railings on these bridge is most unfortunate....The Pearl Street Bridge is the victim of another far more serious alteration: it is actually no longer an arch bridge. Take a close look under the bridge, and you will see that all but the outermost parts of the arch bridge were removed, and modern pre-stressed concrete beams (AASHTO girder style) replaced them. This bridge is essentially a modern bridge with a historic arch facade and historic substructure. As such, the bridge has limited historic value. On the other hand, the bridge still retains its historic appearance and still lends attractive architecture to downtown Grand Rapids. The modifications done to this bridge do not represent a "best practice" for restoration, but do represent a good compromise when the demands for retaining a historic structure compete with a need for an efficient non-weight-restricted crossing. It is an better alternative to outright demolition to be sure! At the same time, arch bridges like this can often be rehabilitated for continued unrestricted use without having to replace the superstructure." [HistoricBridges]

Dam Removal

Mlive.com posted
Crews installed a floating barrier near Gillett Bridge to contain sediment as the first step in removing four century-old low-head dams along the Grand River in Grand Rapids.
https://mrf.lu/JzNN

Given the Blue Bridge in the left background, we are looking South at the Pearl Street Bridge.

https://mrf.lu/JzNN, credit Isaac Ritchey

This shows that the Pearl Street Bridge on the left is open spandrel, and the Gillet Bridge on the right is closed spandrel. But my main motivation for this view is to confirm that the head for this dam is very low. This is the southernmost dam. Given that the dam upstream of the Gillet Bridge is Dam #2, this must be Dam #1.

Trail View, Aug 2025 (Satellite)

Dam #2. Again, it has a very small head. This is the first dam to be removed. After the dam is removed rocks will be placed in the river to create eddies and pools of water to help the fish. The removal and restoration contract was approved for $14.5m. [mlive]

Trail View, Aug 2025 (Satellite)

Dam #3. 

Trail View, Aug 2025 (Satellite)

Dam #4.

Street View, Nov 2022 (Satellite)

The removal of this dam is still being studied.

Jim DHaem, Jan 2018 (Satellite)

Keven Craig Fox 17 posted four photos with the comment: "The heavy lifting has finally begun in the city of Grand Rapids to “Restore the Rapids” on the Grand River. These photos are courtesy of the city, and shows construction equipment and workers in the water starting the project. It’s been in the making for many years, but has now come to fruition. Check it out!"

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Facebook Reel
The budget for this phase is up to $26m.

1838,1903,1922 I&M Canal Aqueduct and 1899,1919 IAIS/Rock Island & Lost/Superior St. Bridges over Fox River in Ottawa, IL

Aqueduct: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; HAER; Satellite)

Rock: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Superior: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite, the extended piers on the south side of the aqueduct carried the bridge.)

I&M Canal Overview

The railroad bridge is in the foreground and the aqueduct is behind it.

Street View, Aug 2025

Illinois and Michigan Canal Photo Tour posted
The 464 foot [141m] long Fox River aqueduct at Ottawa circa 1900 and in 2006.
Brad Small: Interurban tracks along south side in 1900 photo. [A plan for interurban tracks, which I don't think happened.]

"Originally built in 1838 to carry the I&M; Canal over the Fox River wooden trough of aqueduct replaced with steel trough 1922" [ArchivedBridgeHunter_aqueduct]

Because the tow path was obsolete in the 20th Century (mules had been replaced by engines), the towpath was replaced with an interurban bridge in 1903. Evidently, there was a plan to move the Chicago, Ottawa & Peoria from the Main Street Bridge to this new bridge to remove street running in Ottawa. But every map I have seen indicates that the plan was never executed.

This is the upstream side of the aqueduct. The steel girders are the north side of the trough that held the water.

20150809, 4092

The interurban bridge is now a trail bridge. It reused the piers that were built for the canal's towpath.

Out on that trail, I stuck my camera up against the chain-link fence to take this upstream photo. We see the wall of the aqueduct trough, the Rock Island Bridge and the US-6 Bridge. It looks like they had to paint over some graffiti. Did the slits allow flood water to spill into the Fox River? 

HistoricBridges does not think these slits are original: "Also, there are crudely cut holes in the steel girders. The exact purpose of these holes is unclear, but they diminish the historic integrity of the bridge and are ugly looking."

And I leaned over the side of the trail to get this photo of the trough.

Another view of today's trail.

HAER ILL, 50-OTWA, 7--1
1. LOOKING NORTHEAST, SOUTH SIDE OF PLATE GIRDER BRIDGE WHICH CARRIED THE INTERURBAN LINE ACROSS THE FOX RIVER. NOTE THE STEEL-FRAME SUPPORTS FOR THE CATENARY. - Illinois Traction System, Fox River Bridge, Spanning Fox River, Ottawa, La Salle County, IL

Significance: In 1903 the Illinois Traction System constructed a bridge across the Fox River sharing the piers of the I&M Canal Fox River Aqueduct." [HAERil0648_data]

HAER ILL, 50-OTWA, 5--8
8. DETAIL OF UNDERSIDE OF RAIL AND CANAL, SOUTH SIDE OF WEST END - Illinois & Michigan Canal, Fox River Aqueduct, Ottawa, La Salle County, IL

"Significance: Part of the original timber frame aqueduct (built 1848) was incorporated into the bridge built by the Illinois Traction system in 1903; reconstruction of the original Fox River aqueduct was carried out in 1918 and 1919 as part of the improvements to the Rockdale-to-Peru section of the canal, the last operating stretch of the I&M." [HAERil0600_data]

This 1915 map shows the CO&P route was not changed to use the 1903 bridge. The interurban still curved south to use the Main Street Bridge.

1915/15 Ottawa Quad @ 62,500 via Dennis DeBruler

The empty piers on the south side carried a vehicle bridge. And the above topo map agrees that it was the Superior Street Bridge.

Street View, Jun 2023

This is old enough to show the Superior Street Bridge.

ca 1920, Lewis University Collection via BridgeHunter_superior

ca 1920, Lewis University Collection via BridgeHunter_superior

ca 1920, Lewis University Collection via BridgeHunter_superior

ArchivedBridgeHunter_rock provides a date of 1899 whereas BridgeHunter_rock has a date of 1919 for the Rock Island Bridge. I'm going with 1919 for today's bridge because the piers make it look like a truss bridge was replaced by a girder bridge.

2011 photo by Steve Conro via BridgeHunter_rock

These two maps are more evidence that the plan to move the CO&P from Main Street to the canal right-of-way did not happen. [Luke's comment on ArchivedBridgeHunter]

This map labels ithe interurban the "Illinois Valley Electric RR."

1906

This map labeled it "Electric RY."

1929

I don't see any evidence of a grade for the CO&P to use the 1903 bridge.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

I can see the trusses of the Superior Street Bridge

Digitally Zoomed

Roger Kujawa posted 13 photos of today's trail bridge with the comment: "Chicago, Ottawa and Peoria railroad bridge Ottawa, Illinois.  The CO&P bridge over the Fox River is next to the Illinois and Michigan canal aqueduct over the Fox River.  Not sure if those are the trolley wire supports or new steel."

Dennis DeBruler: Evidently, CO&P never finished their plan to use this bridge. They continued to use the Main Street Bridge to cross the Fox River. https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2026/05/183819031922-i-canal-aqueduct-and.html

Roger Kujawa shared

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Tom Winkle commented on Roger's post

Not so, Ottawa native here...

The CO&P crossed the Fox River via the Main Street bridge in Ottawa; the line ran west on Main Street and Madison Street, and the CO&P shops were on the west side of Ottawa. Where the shops were is now one of U.S. Silica's sand pits. Here's a map of the line through Ottawa and a photo of the Main Street bridge.

Tom Winkle commented on his comment