Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park

By: HRA Crack Research Team

Want a peaceful, relaxing day of horseback riding?
Spend the day and bring a picnic lunch along. Hennepin
is a spectacular 104.5-mile linear park which spans
five counties (Rock Island, Bureau, Henry, Lee and
Whiteside).

The Hennepin Canal is more than just a fun place. It
played a very important role in the history of the
United States and to commerce and industry. In fact,
the entire canal is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places.

Thoughts of constructing a canal that connected the
Illinois and Mississippi River date back to 1834. But
financial problems in the state held back many public
works projects. Pressure for a transportation shortcut
that was cheaper than rail continued though, and
Congress authorized preliminary surveys on the project
in 1871.

Construction finally got under way in 1892 and the
first boat went through in 1907, reducing the distance
from Chicago to Rock Island by 419 miles. There was a
problem, however. As this canal was under construction,
the Corps of Engineers was widening the locks on both
the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. With lock chambers
twenty and forty feet narrower than the rivers it
connected, the canal was obsolete before the Marion
made her initial voyage.

By the 1930s it was used primarily for recreational
traffic. The Hennepin and its sister canal, the I & M,
tied the Illinois, Des Plaines and Mississippi river
systems into a transportation network connecting Lake
Michigan to the Gulf of Mexico.

The I & M was completed nearly 60 years earlier and
helped make Chicago one of the nation's greatest
cities. The Hennepin Canal, which at one time was known
as the Illinois and Mississippi Canal, was open to boat
traffic until 1951. There was no cost to use the canal.
Ice made from the canal's frozen waters was sold during
the winters to help pay the canal's maintenance costs.

The Hennepin was the first American canal built of
concrete without stone cut facings. Although the
Hennepin enjoyed limited success as a waterway,
engineering innovations used in its construction were a
bonus to the construction industry. Some of the
innovations pioneered on the Hennepin Canal were
probably used on the Panama Canal. Both used concrete
lock chambers and both used a Feeder canal from a man
made lake to water the canals because both needed water
to flow ‘uphill.’

There are 33 locks on the canal. Thirty-two are still
visible. The first one, on the Illinois River, has been
under water since the 1930's. Fourteen of the locks had
Marshall gates, which are unique to the Hennepin, and
are raised and lowered on a horizontal axis, much like
a rural mailbox. Five of the locks have been restored
to working condition, although they are not used. One
of these is a Marshall Gate lock. All of the gates from
the remaining locks have been replaced with concrete
walls, creating a series of waterfalls.

The Hennepin originally had nine aqueducts -- concrete
troughs which carried the canal and its traffic across
larger rivers and streams. Today, six remain the other
three are replaced by pipes that carry the canal flow
under the creek or river the aqueduct crossed over.

The Canal is open from April 15 to October 31 for
horseback riding. Bring your own horse and prepare to
enjoy 48 miles along the main canal and over 25 miles
along the Feeder. Gallop to your heart's delight along
the corridor. Please stay out of the picnic areas and
off the west tow path between bridges 43 to 56, and
Locks 30 to 32.

Be aware you will be sharing surfaces with bicyclists
and pedestrians around aqueducts and in areas where
there is usable towpath on one side only.

The Hennepin Canal Parkway basically parallels I-80 in
Bureau and Henry counties in west central Illinois. The
Parkway's Visitor Center is one mile south of I-80,
just west of Route 40. East or westbound travelers on
I-80 should take Exit 45, turn right (south) on Route
40. They almost immediately cross the Canal and in
about 1 mile is the brown sign directing them to the
Parkway Visitors Center. Turn right (west) and proceed
to the Center.

This information was compiled by the crack research
team at HorsebackRidingArticles.com. It is by no means
complete. We have tried to be as accurate as possible.

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