The Eisenhower Lock is one of the seven

canal locks A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water lev ...

on the

St Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

leg of the

St Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway (french: la Voie Maritime du Saint-Laurent) is a system of locks, canals, and channels in Canada and the United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North Americ ...

.Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System Map, accessed 2009-07-05
/ref> This lock provides a 38 foot lift for ships heading upstream. It is one of two locks located near

Massena, New York Massena is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. Massena is along the county's northern border, just south of the St. Lawrence River and the Three Nations Crossing of the Canada–United States border. The population was 12,8 ...

. The lock was constructed to bypass the portion of the St Lawrence River known as the

Long Sault Long Sault was a rapid in the St. Lawrence River upstream and west of Cornwall, Ontario. ''Sault'' is the archaic spelling of the French word ''saut'', meaning rapids. The Long Sault created a navigation barrier along the river for much of its ...

. The

US Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

planned and supervised the construction. Actual construction was performed by Peter Kiewit Sons Co., Morrison-Knudsen Co., Perini Corp., Utah Construction Co., and Walsh Construction Co. The lock was originally named the "Robinson Bay Lock" and was renamed after

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

after his term was over. The lock, and the nearby Bertrand H. Snell Lock are part of the

Wiley-Dondero Canal The Wiley-Dondero Canal is a section of the St. Lawrence Seaway in New York, United States, with a length of . The US Army Corps of Engineers planned and supervised the Wiley-Dondero Canal to bypass the Long Sault. Actual construction was p ...

. Construction was complicated by the need to not interrupt the waterflow to nearby

hydro-electric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

installations. The St. Lawrence Seaway was dedicated on 26 June 1959 at a ceremony in Montreal. Key speakers were

and Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. The following day there was a second dedication ceremony at the Eisenhower Lock. Key attendees were Queen

, Vice President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

and New York Governor

Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...

. In 1972 a tanker, the MV ''Venus'', exploded while transiting the lock. On June 18, 2015, the

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...

''Saint Laurent'' collided with the lock, causing it to be drained, and closed for almost two days.

References

{{Coord, 44.97937, -74.84956, type:landmark_region:US-NY, display=title Saint Lawrence Seaway Transportation buildings and structures in St. Lawrence County, New York Locks of New York (state)