Peoria Lock and Dam, Navigation lock and dam system on Illinois River at Creve Coeur, United States

Peoria Lock and Dam is a lock and dam complex on the Illinois River at Creve Coeur, Illinois. Its lock chamber measures 100 by 600 feet (30 by 183 m) and gives vessels a vertical lift of 11 feet (3.4 m). The dam itself is 536 feet (163 m) long and holds 108 wicket gates plus a Tainter gate.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built this system between 1938 and 1939 to improve boat passage between Chicago and the Mississippi River. This project was part of a larger effort to develop the Illinois River waterway for commercial transportation during that era.

The control station displays Art Deco details at its entrance, showing how federal projects of the 1930s favored this modern design style. You can see geometric shapes and clean lines that were popular when this building was made.

This location provides a good vantage point to watch boats passing through the system and observe the working waterway. The best time to visit is during daylight hours when you can see the lock operations and get a clear view of how vessels move through the structure.

The complex keeps an original maneuver boat built to raise and lower the dam's wicket gates; it is still in use and is one of four such boats left in the United States. The dam itself has 108 wicket gates and a Tainter gate, and is one of two Illinois dams still using wicket gates.