MILL ST

MILL ST

Outagamie

Little Chute

1885

1988

dam/lock

NA (unknown or not a building)

Wood

No

A 'site file' titled Little Chute Locks and Canal Historic District exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation-Public History. Photo Code: FCS 5/25. The lock at this location originally served as Little Chute Lock 1. It was rebuilt to serve as a guard lock for the Little Chute canal in 1885. Presently, the lock simply consists of two wooden, miter gates that are constructed of squared wooden timbers that are laid horizontally atop one another and joined with structural ties. They are operated with the same crank and spar system as Little Chute Lock 2. Downstream from the gates, a dry-rubble wall, a portion of which is sheathed with planks, extends for about 200 feet. A guard lock, when closed, protects a canal from a surge of water. It also facilitates the drainage of the canal, an activity that occurs every winter. Since the canal is drained on an annual basis, it must be refilled each spring. For that then, four butterfly valves, two under each gate, are present in this lock. The four valves are set in the floor of the lock, immediately upstream from the structure. As the valves are opened, water passes down into a culvert with a 90 degree turn, which then directs it under the upstream sill and straight into the canal. Each valve is adjusted by a geared mechanism that sits on the lock's coping. A metal shaft connects the valve to the adjusting mechanism.

OTHER BUILDINGS RELATED TO THIS STRUCTURE INCLUDE A BRIDGE, A DAM AND A LOCKKEEPER'S HOUSE.

(A) "Annual Report Upon the Construction of Harbor of Refuge, Milwaukee Bay; Improvement of the Harbors of Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, and Waukegan; And Improvement of Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, in charge of W.L. Marshall. Captain of Engineers, U.S.A.; Being Appendix II of the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1885," (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1885), 2036.

Little Chute Locks and Canal Historic District

Dec 07, 1993

Apr 10, 1992

Yes