Willamette Falls Locks

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Coordinates: 45°21′18″N, 122°37′3.468″W

Entrance to locks at downstream side

Willamette Falls Locks. View is downstream to the northwest. The Old Oregon City-West Linn Bridge is visible in the distance.

The Willamette Falls Locks are locks which allow traffic on the Willamette River to navigate beyond Willamette Falls. They opened in 1873-01-01 as the first multi lift navigation locks in the U.S. and have been in continuous use ever since. The National Register of Historic Places listed them in 1974 as structure #74001680. It is owned and operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and passage through the locks is free for both commercial and recreational boats.

There are 7 gates in four chambers which lift up to 50 feet (15.5 m) elevation change (depending on tides and river flow) with a usable width of 37 feet (11.2 m). The system is 3565 feet (1087 m) long. It can accommodate vessels up to 175 feet (53.3 m) long.

Due to security concerns, the viewing area of the locks are closed to the public indefinitely.

[edit] External links

• Army Corps of Engineers facts
• End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center website
• National Trust website advocating saving the locks
• Willamette Falls Heritage Foundation

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