Mississippi Lock and Dam #14 near Bettendorf, IA

(John A. Weeks III; Satellite)

USACE: locking through and facts and figures

John A. Weeks III

 

Chuck Holst posted
American Beauty Locking ⬇️ at Lock #14

 

Chuck commented on his post

USACE, Rock Island District posted

It's #FlashbackFriday!! Today we are checking out Locks and Dam 14 in Pleasant Valley, Iowa, on the Mississippi River. This photo, taken in September 1937, shows construction of the dam looking downstream toward the Illinois shore from Iowa. 

An average of 18.5 million tons of cargo pass through Locks and Dam 14 annually.

USACE, Rock Island District posted

Today is an extra special #FlashbackFriday as we celebrate the upcoming birthday of Locks and Dam 14 in Pleasant Valley, Iowa! June 14th will mark the 87th birthday of this integral lock on the Mississippi River! This photo, taken in 1938, shows construction of the dam looking slightly upstream.

An average of 18.5 million tons of cargo pass through Locks and Dam 14 annually.

USACE, Rock Island District posted

Today's #FlashbackFriday takes us back 90 years to Locks and Dam 14 in Pleasant Valley, Iowa, along the Mississippi River. This photo shows construction in progress on the lock wall and is taken looking downstream.

Did You Know? The auxiliary lock at Locks and Dam 14 is called the LeClaire Lock and is part of the remains of the LeClaire Lateral Canal, built in 1921-1924 and located along the Iowa shore, to bypass the Rock Island Rapids, a treacherous stretch of river that is near this location.

#14 must have been a typo. I can't reconcile this photo with a satellite image. But it must be on the Mississippi River because the dam has some roller gates. Please leave a comment if you know which L&D this is.

Chuck Hoist posted
Lock # 14 , Dam all out
[At the Newburgh Lock and Dam, I've seen them open both sets of gates on the lock to allow more room for the river to flow downstream. I even saw a tow go upstream against that heavy current. But the tow stopped for a long time in the lock anyhow. Do they do a lot of paperwork during a normal lock operation that still has to be done even when it is a straight shot through the lock?]

Chuck commented on his post

Chuck Holst posted
DEANA ANN Leaving Lock # 14

Screenshot
There is a reason it's called the Mighty Mississippi. The volume of water flowing through the lock and dams is amazing. This is Lock and Dam 14 on the Illinois side.

Street View from I-80, Aug 2019

 

Jan Danielsen posted
So guys--this is what you do---open wide and hope a fish falls from the sky! 🐟😀🐟😀🐟 Lock and dam 14 Iowa side.

USACE, Rock Island District posted two photos with the comment:The Lock at Locks and Dam 14 in Pleasant Valley, Iowa, will be open for the season beginning tomorrow, May 26. The lock will be open every weekend through Sept. 5 with operating hours of 4-10 p.m. on Fridays and Noon-10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. In addition, the auxiliary lock will be open Noon-10 p.m. on Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day.
Additionally, the Auxiliary Lock at Locks and Dam 15 in Rock Island, Illinois, will be operational Friday-Monday this weekend from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. While the auxiliary lock is always available at LD15, extra staff is available on holiday weekends to assist with the increased traffic.
Click here for more information regarding the lock opening at LD14: 
https://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/.../auxiliary-lock-to.../

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USACE, Rock Island District posted
[The description has the hours of operation for 2025.]

Unlike most dams, the Auxiliary Lock is not next to the primary lock. It is on a side channel.

Satellite

I had forgotten about the Auxiliary Lock until I saw this photo. This facility is the headquarters of the USACE Rock Island District. This is where the Quad Cities Barge Crane is docked between jobs. I think that is the crane with the red and white boom.

We Work the Waterways posted

Dennis DeBruler: It looks like the Quad Cities Crane is docked there.

Two of the photos posted by Jan Danielsen with the comment: "Lock and dam 14 Iowa. 23 degrees and sunny. Nice day."

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Two of the photos posted by David Gulden.

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Jan Danielsen posted
Lock and dam 14. I can't see who was in the lock approx. 2:00 today 5-30-21. SB. Picture taken as I was going over I-80 Iowa to Illinois. (My husband was driving}. R. Clayton McWhorter it is. Thanks to Drew Todd.
Kevin Newsom: Gates are on the hook lots of extra water.
[So what does "on the hook" mean?]

Jan Danielsen posted
Check it out there's a beach ball in the water next to the dam. Want to play? Lock and dam 14 Pool 15. Pleasant Valley, Iowa---Hampton, Illinois. Pictures taken from the observation stand--Iowa.

Jan Danielsen posted two photos with the comment: "Kenny Eads heading into lock 14 and Kelly Lee in the distance leaving. Northbound. 4-29-22."

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I just (Apr 2021) noticed the canal and second lock.

Satellite

1 of three photos posted by Jen Danielsen
Katie Ann in lock 14.
[This photo also gives us a decent view of one of the gates. I wonder were the tug sometimes works that it would need a retractable pilothouse.]

1 of 4 photos posted by David Gulden
[Kate Ann caught the eye of another towfan. On Jen's photo above one can read Port of Dubuque, IA. But dam #11 is up there. This dam is near the Quad Cities.]

Jan Danielson posted three photos with the comment: "Anyone know what was going on near lock and dam 14 this morning about 9:30? I took these pictures as we were going from Iowa to Illinois on I-80. Corps of Engineers boat Quincy. Update--thanks for the info---rescue drills were going on)."

[These provide a different view of the upstream entrance to the lock.]

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1 of 5 photos posted by Jan Danielson
Crosby Progress. First time for me to see this boat in my area. Interesting to see the "high pilot house." Pushing wind turbine blades up river to Camanche, Iowa from New Orleans. Pictures taken at lock and dam 14 Pleasant Valley, Iowa. 11-21-22.

1 of 5 photos posted by Jan Danielson
Interesting to me---Crosby Progress boat heading up river pushing a barge with wind turbine blades. No matter how YOU feel about those it was something to see at lock and dam 14 Pleasant Valley, Iowa. 11-21-22.
Kimberly Berlyn Pettigrew: We watched them on the Lock 19 live cam. First tow was Big Eddie and the second one was Crosby Progress.

1 of 15 photos posted by Raw Images Art & Photography
Jan/Feb 2021 when the US Army Corp of Engineers dewatered lock 14 in Leclaire Iowa.
Tammy Mutka shared

 

Jan Danielsen posted four photos with the comment: ""Something" was going on at lock 14 Pleasant Valley, Iowa. Corp of Engineers 2-15-23."

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1 of 4 photos posted by Jan Danielsen
Corp of Engineers working at lock 14 Iowa. 2-15-23.

Debbie Hansohn Felsing posted, cropped

1 of 7 photos and 3 videos posted by Debbie Hansohn Felsing
[I think the crane went through the lock.]

2 of 5 photos posted by Jan Danielsen with the comment: "I at lock 14 Pleasant Valley, Iowa. Southbound 10-21-23."

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27 photos taken during a tour

Aug 2025:

USACE, Rock Island District posted, cropped
A reminder that the auxiliary lock at Locks and Dam 14 in Pleasant Valley, Iowa, will have extended hours until midnight this Friday, August 8, to assist recreational boaters attending TugFest activities and fireworks display.

Jan Danielsen posted
Auxiliary lock to the canal. Lock and dam 14 Pleasant Valley, Iowa. 7-18-26.

2 of 5 photos posted by Jan Danielsen with the comment: "Lock and dam 14 area. They are working on the new auxiliary bridge in the canal. It will lift up to open--- I think. 8-26-26"

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Mississippi Lock and Dam #13 near Fulton, IL

(John A. Weeks III; Satellite, 43 photos)

USACE and USACE via Navigation

John A Weeks III

Flood of 2019:

Screenshot
Lock and Dam 13 and pool 13 during spring flooding, April 6, 2019 (Video has no sound)
[The is some discussion about the gate for the unbuilt auxiliary lock.]

USACE, Rock Island District posted
Today's [Feb 13, 2026] #FlashbackFriday heads over to Lock and Dam 13 on the Mississippi River in Fulton, Illinois. This photo, taken almost 90 years ago, shows construction of the lock chamber. Today, LD13 sees about 16 million tons of product pass through annually, with about half of that being food and farm products!

USACE, Rock Island District posted two photos with the comment: 

Happy 87th Birthday to Lock and Dam 13 in Fulton, Illinois, along the Mississippi River!

On this date [May 14] in 1939 Lock and Dam 13 began operations. Construction of the lock took place from July 1935  to December 1936 and construction of the dam took place from January 1937 to December 1938.

Photo 1 - Lock construction looking upstream on Oct. 2, 1936

Photo 2 - The dedication ceremony of Lock and Dam 13 on June 18, 1939

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Mike Ironman posted

Status accessed Apr 12, 2019

River Gage from Dam List

Jan Danielsen posted six photos with the comment: "Peek a boo I see you. American Beauty at lock 13 SB. Pictures taken from Pool 14."

Leslie Wade Day: Yes, the Beauty, all signs are down, painting in full swing.

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Jan Danielsen posted
David L. Fields waiting for lock 13 NB Pool 14.

Jan Danielsen posted four photos with the comment: "Who knows what's going on near lock and dam 13 Pool 14. Clinton, Iowa side? I took pictures from Fulton, Illinois side this morning and was surprised to see this. Fred McKenzie tugboat and equipment on the barges. It's a fishing spot."

Dana Washburn Lyter: I asked my husband who is a captain for the Corp and he thinks they are spreading rock to fill in the spillway. The corp dumped it there a few days ago. Plus that's not the Channel they wouldn't be digging there anyway.

Rich Reusche: Project was started last Fall...2020...just when Walleye fishing..tailwaters, was getting good...Barges with Rock...building up Spillway...Still were there this spring..Glad they are back at it...Maybe done before October/ November.. Walleye and Sauger movement into the tailwaters..

Joshua Bauer: They have been doing work on the emergency spillway that is to the west of the dam. They unloaded the equipment in that pocket.

Reed Williams: As a side note...Fred R Mckenzie was designed to be truckable by disassembling it into truck sized pieces. Little known fact. [Mckenzie is the towboat.]

Bob Felderman: That is Newt Marine out of Dubuque doing the work.

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I included all four of her photos because this implies it is more than just a dredging operation unless they are going to do some clamshell work.

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Fred Kinkaid posted
Cement being haul for the Spillway repair at L&D 13

Three of the photos posted by Jan Danielsen with the comment: "Philip M. Pfeffer Lock and dam 13 SB. Pictures taken while I was fishing 8-18-21. (Zoom lens and the towboat and barges were still in the lock)."

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Fred Kinkaid posted two photos with the comment: "There is a Small Craft warning at L&D 13 until further notice!! lol  FULTON IL."

Dave Harrington

For us small boaters pool 13 below Sabula is the second most nasty windy pool.

Lake Pepin is the king of windy nasty.

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Dewayne Bohannon posted
M/V Randy Anderson
The IA-136+IL-136 Bridge is in the middle and this dam is in the background.

A report on a 2016 dewatering for maintenance

Ryan Hupfeld posted

Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program Public Meeting for the Lower Pool 13 Phase 2 Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project on September 3rd, 2026 at Eagle Point Park Lodge in Clinton, IA from 4-6 PM.

This part of the project is regarding backwater dredging and island building/forestry enhancement.

[There are a lot of comments about getting rid of the pelicans. They are an invasive species that are killing the fish and spread weeds.]

Mike Schultz: Waste of time. I went a few years ago. This project was suppose to start in 2023. Corp of engineers DNR and U.S. fish and wildlife were there. Many people spoke about the damage pelicans have done and it fell on deaf ears couldn't get any agency to talk about them. Want to build islands. They were asked about the ones these nasty birds have destroyed again nothing. They don't listen to us common river people. [I have a low opinion of public meetings in general. They have them so that they can check the "engaged the public" box on their environmental red tape. My experience is that they have the meetings, but they ignore the input. One exception I've noticed is that some bridge designs were changed to be "prettier."]

USACE Rock Island District posted

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, is hosting a public open house to discuss Phase II of the Lower Pool 13 Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project.

The event is being held in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. It will take place Sept. 3 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Eagle Point Lodge, 4101 N. Third St., in Clinton, Iowa.

https://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/.../public-invited-to.../

[This post also has a lot of comments about getting rid of the pelican nesting areas.]

Was Barrington Junction: EJ&E vs. C&NW

Honestly, I did look for a notes page for this tower before I created this duplicate. I started a notes page in 2016. So please go here (https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2016/05/barrington-tower-ej-vs-c.html). I'll be deleting this one after it spools deep into people's Reading List.

IC|C&NW|? Bridge over Pecatonica River in Freeport, IL

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

(No Bridge Hunter) The red rectangle indicates where the bridge was. I included more of the 1939 aerial than I normally do because I wanted to show how much industry was north of the river. The IC mainline routes did not need this bridge. The bridge for its northern branches still exists. So did the IC own it to access the industries north of the river or did an industrial/terminal railroad own it?

Satellite

A 1974 topo map indicates C&NW had a connection to it. So maybe it was a terminal railroad. (A terminal railroad is one that is just in a city that connects the Class I railroads to each other and to local industry.)