Downstream Entrance, Lock 11 on the I&M Canal

This is the downstream side of Lock 11. From here, the Canal would continue on behind me, curve to the South, and in a couple miles run through Lock 12. Most of the locks have had some sort of repairs throughout their lives. One was removed completely, one is in really bad shape. Here you can see that the North wingwall is shorter - part of the trailing end collapsed, and it was partially rebuilt with concrete designed to look like stone. However, since by that point the Canal was closed for business, the repairs weren't necessarily complete, as you can see. The North wall is much shorter than the South wall. The I&M was the first link between the East through the Great Lakes, down the I&M from Chicago, then on through the Illinois River to the Mississippi to the Gulf. The I&M was a driving force in the development of Chicago from a little trading post into a major center of commerce. Olympus E-1, Zuiko 14-54mm