ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will host a public open house at Lock and Dam 7 in La Crescent, Minnesota, Sept. 19. Held in conjunction with La Crescent’s annual Applefest, the event offers the public a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how the Corps maintains the Mississippi River navigation channel — which allows a single commercial barge to transport the equivalent of 7.5million apples.
Lock and Dam 7 is hosting the free event from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., to allow people to get a view of the site while also getting a better understanding of what the staff does to ensure safe, reliable navigation.
In addition, staff and partners will have a variety of water safety and informational displays on site, so people can learn about the importance of wearing a life jacket while on the water.
Lock and Dam 7, located at 33018 Highway 61, was constructed in 1935. The site underwent major rehabilitation from 1989 through 2002, and the four miter gates were replaced in 2025.
The St. Paul District navigation program provides a safe, reliable, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable waterborne transportation system on the Upper Mississippi River for the movement of commercial goods and for national security needs. To do this, the district maintains a 9-foot navigation channel and 13 locks and dams from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa. Keeping this system open is vital to the nation’s economy.
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