How often do you drive the east coast of Minnesota or the west coast of Wisconsin? Ok, ok I know a coast is usually defined as “along the seashore”, but Merriam Webster dictionary also defines it as: “to travel on land along a coast or along or past the side of something.” So I’m going with that. And it’s a fun word since we don’t hear it very often in the Midwest, or at least I rarely do. While we were camping in Perrot State Park, Trempealeau, Wisconsin, we decided to take our morning coffee for a quick drive and jumped in the truck to cruise through the park. We like to drive through parks, after we get set up and settled in a bit, so we can get the lay of the land and get ideas on parking spots for hiking or to find interesting things to do and how far they’d be from our site. The park road took us through the park and straight into the town of Trempealeau. We kept driving south to see where we’d plan on putting our friend’s boat in (to go fishing the next day) and that landing just happened to be next to Lock and Dam No. 6. My mom just happened to notice a barge was on it’s way into the lock, so we decided to stay and watch and see how a barge (which is typically longer than a lock) would get through the lock and dam.I’ve seen smaller boats like canoes, pleasure crafts, and fishing boats go through a lock and dam, but somehow in my 35 years of life, I cannot recall watching a barge go through. By the way, there’s no charge to watch the lock and dam operate, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers even offer a viewing platform with history boards for a fantastic view and learn some fun facts and history about the river and barge traffic. This was a great opportunity and location (and seemed to be perfect timing) to watch the barge come through.This particular barge was too long for the lock so you’ll notice in the pictures that they unhooked the first seven barges and sent them through first, and then brought the next six through, in addition to the tug boat.Lock and Dam No. 6 was built in June 1936 and is located on the Mississippi River at river mile 714.10 in Trempealeau, Wisconsin within a gorgeous bluff-lined valley. It’s an absolutely beautiful location! The dam is 893 feet long, has five roller gates, and ten tainter gates. The lock measures 110 feet wide and 600 feet long! The lock and dam are owned and operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers-Mississippi Valley Division St. Paul District. How does a lock work, you might ask? An example would be, if you were in a boat headed upstream (just as the barge that’s pictured here is) you’ll pull into the lock and the lower gate will close. (The upper gate would have already been closed before you arrived.) The filling valve will be turned on and the water level will rise to the upstream level. Once the water level reaches the upstream level the upper gate will open and your boat will move out of the lock.If you’re going downstream, it’s the opposite. They’ll raise the water level to the upstream level, you’ll pull in, then the emptying valve will be opened. The pressure of the higher water level in the lock will drain downstream in a matter of minutes. Then the lower gate opens and your boat can continue downstream.It was so interesting seeing how smoothly everything goes. The barge’s captain startled my mom and I by blowing the big horn. He stepped out to chuckle at us because we jumped! Thankfully he waited for me to be done taking photos so I didn’t drop my phone into the river!! He even startled his crew, so it seemed like he was looking for a bit of fun that morning. We asked a member of their crew how long the lock and dams take them to travel up and down the Mississippi. He said about two weeks to go from Lock and Dam No. 25 to this one (Lock and Dam No. 6) and that this barge was headed to lock No. 1.I found the history and information boards particularly interesting. Did you know that barge transportation is the most fuel-efficient and environmentally sound way to move product? One 15-Barge tow is equal to SIX locomotives and 216 rail cars! One barge can hold 58,333 bushels whereas a railcar can hold 4,000 bushels and a large semi can hold 910 bushels. If you aren’t sure how big a bushel is, let’s go with gallons. One barge can haul 1,556,000 gallons where as one rail car 33,870 gallons and a large semi 7,865! It is incredible how large these barges are!Have you visited other lock and dams? Is there one you would recommend we put on our adventure list?
How often do you drive the east coast of Minnesota or the west coast of Wisconsin? Ok, ok I know a coast is usually defined as “along the seashore”, but Merriam Webster dictionary also defines it as: “to travel on land along a coast or along or past the side of something.” So I’m going with that. And it’s a fun word since we don’t hear it very often in the Midwest, or at least I rarely do.
While we were camping in Perrot State Park, Trempealeau, Wisconsin, we decided to take our morning coffee for a quick drive and jumped in the truck to cruise through the park. We like to drive through parks, after we get set up and settled in a bit, so we can get the lay of the land and get ideas on parking spots for hiking or to find interesting things to do and how far they’d be from our site. The park road took us through the park and straight into the town of Trempealeau.
We kept driving south to see where we’d plan on putting our friend’s boat in (to go fishing the next day) and that landing just happened to be next to Lock and Dam No. 6. My mom just happened to notice a barge was on it’s way into the lock, so we decided to stay and watch and see how a barge (which is typically longer than a lock) would get through the lock and dam.
I’ve seen smaller boats like canoes, pleasure crafts, and fishing boats go through a lock and dam, but somehow in my 35 years of life, I cannot recall watching a barge go through. By the way, there’s no charge to watch the lock and dam operate, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers even offer a viewing platform with history boards for a fantastic view and learn some fun facts and history about the river and barge traffic. This was a great opportunity and location (and seemed to be perfect timing) to watch the barge come through.
This particular barge was too long for the lock so you’ll notice in the pictures that they unhooked the first seven barges and sent them through first, and then brought the next six through, in addition to the tug boat.
Lock and Dam No. 6 was built in June 1936 and is located on the Mississippi River at river mile 714.10 in Trempealeau, Wisconsin within a gorgeous bluff-lined valley. It’s an absolutely beautiful location! The dam is 893 feet long, has five roller gates, and ten tainter gates. The lock measures 110 feet wide and 600 feet long! The lock and dam are owned and operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers-Mississippi Valley Division St. Paul District.
How does a lock work, you might ask? An example would be, if you were in a boat headed upstream (just as the barge that’s pictured here is) you’ll pull into the lock and the lower gate will close. (The upper gate would have already been closed before you arrived.) The filling valve will be turned on and the water level will rise to the upstream level. Once the water level reaches the upstream level the upper gate will open and your boat will move out of the lock.
If you’re going downstream, it’s the opposite. They’ll raise the water level to the upstream level, you’ll pull in, then the emptying valve will be opened. The pressure of the higher water level in the lock will drain downstream in a matter of minutes. Then the lower gate opens and your boat can continue downstream.
It was so interesting seeing how smoothly everything goes. The barge’s captain startled my mom and I by blowing the big horn. He stepped out to chuckle at us because we jumped! Thankfully he waited for me to be done taking photos so I didn’t drop my phone into the river!! He even startled his crew, so it seemed like he was looking for a bit of fun that morning. We asked a member of their crew how long the lock and dams take them to travel up and down the Mississippi. He said about two weeks to go from Lock and Dam No. 25 to this one (Lock and Dam No. 6) and that this barge was headed to lock No. 1.
I found the history and information boards particularly interesting. Did you know that barge transportation is the most fuel-efficient and environmentally sound way to move product? One 15-Barge tow is equal to SIX locomotives and 216 rail cars!
One barge can hold 58,333 bushels whereas a railcar can hold 4,000 bushels and a large semi can hold 910 bushels. If you aren’t sure how big a bushel is, let’s go with gallons. One barge can haul 1,556,000 gallons where as one rail car 33,870 gallons and a large semi 7,865! It is incredible how large these barges are!
Have you visited other lock and dams? Is there one you would recommend we put on our adventure list?