Soo Locks

Engineers Day

On the last Friday of every June, the public is allowed behind the security fence and cross the lock gates of the American Locks for the annual Engineers Day Open House. Visitors are able to get close enough to the ships passing through the two operating locks to touch them.

The American locks form part of a 1.6 mile (2.6 km) canal formally named the St. Marys Falls Ship Canal. They are owned and maintained by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The first American locks were completed in May 1855.

Davis Lock was built in 1914. It is 411 meters (1350 feet) long, 24 meters (80 feet) wide and 7 meters (23.1 feet) deep. The Davis lock is used rather infrequently to lock light freighters, tour boats, and small craft when traffic warrants. SS James A Farrell was the first vessel to lock through.

Sabin Lock was built in 1919. It is 1350 feet long, 80 feet wide, and 23.1 feet deep. This lock is decommissioned and no longer used.

MacArthur Lock was built in 1943. It is 244 meters (800 feet) long, 24 meters (80 feet) wide and 9 meters (31 feet) deep. This is large enough to handle ocean going vessels that must first pass through the smaller locks in the Welland Canal. First vessel through was the SS Carl D. Bradley.

Poe Lock was re-built in 1968, after the Saint Lawrence Seaway had opened. It is 366 meters (1200 feet) long, 34 meters (110 feet) wide and 10 meters (32 feet) deep. It can take ships carrying 72,000 tons of cargo. The Poe is the only lock that can handle the large lakers used on the upper lakes.

There is a project, as yet unfunded, to built a new large lock to replace the Davis and Sabin locks.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soo_Locks