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Joliet Area
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Canal Headquarters
Lockport, established in 1836, was the I&M Canal headquarters. The
town is now a headquarters for canal history where you will find access
to exhibits, historic buildings, dining and specialty shops and the canal
trail.
An economic crossroads
During canal construction, workers and supplies from Chicago reached Lockport
via Archer Avenue, built on a Potawatomi Indian trail. When the canal
opened in 1848, Lockport became a leading grain port. Farmers brought
their grain by the wagonload for shipment by canal or to be milled in
one of Illinois’ largest flour mills. They returned 
home
with supplies shipped from the east coast by canal - furniture, clothing,
blankets, stoves and other finished goods.
In Lockport’s boat yards, carpenters built and repaired the 100-foot-long
canal boats, often with fanciful names like Meteor, Prairie Bird and Ocean
Spray. Dozens of boats traveling between Lake Michigan and the Illinois
River stopped in Lockport, while their captains did business in town.
A rare surviving prairie
Visible to the South of the Route 7 Bridge between Lockport and Route
53 is Lockport Prairie Nature
Preserve. Prairies 
filled
with grasses and wildflowers once dominated portions of Illinois, but
few remain. Lockport Prairie is a rare surviving remnant of a special
type – the wet dolomite prairie - and is home to endangered species.
To visit the prairie, turn east from Route 53, at the light at Division
Street .9 miles south of Route 7. You’ll find a trail .3 miles down
the road on the right.
©2003 Canal Corridor Association