Louisville & Portland Canal on the Ohio River at Louisville, Kentucky. The Louisville & Portland Canal, was started in 1825 and completed in 1830, with its own set of locks. Previously, passengers and freight had to switch boats at Louisville because of the dangers water (especially at low water) at the falls. The completely allowed riverboats to continuously travel from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to New Orleans, Louisiana, without the cumbersome feat of changing boats. It was the first engineering project undertaken to move Ohio River riverboats and barges around the navigational obstacle at the Falls of the Ohio (the Falls are actually a prehistoric natural coral reef). Before the canal, there were only three very hazardous natural channels that claimed many of riverboat and lives; especially, at low water. Again, most passage was by transferring of boat at one point and moving freight and passengers by omnibus, carriage, or even railroad downstream to board another riverboat. The decision was made to construct a canal extending from Louisville downstream to Portland on the Kentucky side that would bypass the falls with the company also establishing the first set of locks when the canal was completed. During the Civil War period, the L&PCCo. Widened the canal and expanded the locks, but they were never able to complete what they had started. Eventually by the 1860, the United States Government took over the control of the Canal. By 1872, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were enlisted to complete the project and installed the locks and dam. This became the first riverboat facility of its kind for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to operate. From 1872 to 1921 (the era when this badge was made and used) the Corps completed a 600-foot-long lock to handle larger barges and towboats. Those facilities lasted until 1961, when they were replaced by the 1,200-foot McAlpine Lock. The area around the canal was very prosperous when the canal was completed, with Portland being a very popular place for riverboat captains to build there homes. Also a s result of the building of the canal, the town of Shippingport became an island. But by the 1937 Flood, a considerable amount of Shippingport was destroyed. After the 1937 flood, a seawall was built that basically shut Portland off from the Ohio River and what was left of Shippingport was abandoned. By 1958, when the canal was widened (during the William H. McAlpine era), the Federal Government finally took over all of Shippingport through eminent domain. Today, it is called the McAlpine Locks and Dam, which in 1960, it a new lock chamber and dam were completed at the Falls. The Dam and Locks were renamed in honor of William H. McAlpine, who was the only civilian to serve as district engineer at Louisville and a nationally recognized authority on river navigation.
