Construction on U.S. Lock and Dam #19 began in 1910, and when completed in 1913, it was the largest electricity generating plant in the world. Lock 19 is on the National Register of Historic places. The Lock and Dam can be viewed from the Observation Deck of the old railroad bridge.

    The locks are 1200 feet long and 110 feet wide, with a lift of over 38 feet and large enough to handle a full-length fleet of barges. Annual tonnage growth on this stretch of the river is expected to reach 31.5 million tons by 2010. Major commodities moved include grain, aggregate, petroleum, coal and chemicals. The present lock was put into operation in 1957 at a cost of $13.5 million dollars. It is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Power House and spillways (shown above) are owned and operated by AmerenUE, a privately owned untility company.