Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
Starting point of the Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway at the Lewis & Clark Confluence tower near Hartford, Illinois
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
Starting point of the Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway near Hartford, Illinois
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
Lewis & Clark Confluence tower at the convergence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, Hartford, Illinois
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
Lewis & Clark Confluence tower at the convergence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, Hartford, Illinois
Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway, Illinois, USA Lewis & Clark Confluence tower at the convergence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, Hartford, Illinois
Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway, Illinois, USA Lewis & Clark Confluence tower at the convergence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, Hartford, Illinois
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway, Illinois
Lewis & Clark Confluence tower at the convergence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, Hartford, Illinois
Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway, Illinois, USA Lewis & Clark Confluence tower at the convergence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, Hartford, Illinois
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
Melvin Price Locks and Dam is a dam and two locks at river mile 200.78 on the Upper Mississippi River, about 17 miles (27 km) north of Saint Louis, Missouri.
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway Melvin Price Locks and Dam replaced Lock and Dam 26, which was demolished in 1990. Almost from the beginning, Lock and Dam 26 was plagued with structural deficiencies. The construction of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam constituted the first replacement of an original installation of the 9-Foot Channel Project.
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
Clark Bridge, also called the Clark Superbridge across the Mississippi River between Alton, Illinois and West Alton, Missouri, seen here from the Missouri side.
Old lock and dam #26 near Alton, Illinois
This is a segment of the original Lock and Dam No. 26 located near Alton, Illinois on the Upper Mississippi River around river mile 202.5. The dam was built by the Corps of Engineers as part of the Public Works Administration relief measures during the Great Depression. It was replaced and demolished in 1990.
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
Clark Bridge as seen from Lincoln Shields Recreation Area on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River
Old lock and dam #26 near Alton, Illinois
This is a segment of the original Lock and Dam No. 26 located near Alton, Illinois on the Upper Mississippi River around river mile 202.5. The dam was built by the Corps of Engineers as part of the Public Works Administration relief measures during the Great Depression. It was replaced and demolished in 1990.
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
Mural of the Piasa Bird on a limestone bluff overlooking the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
Mural of the Piasa Bird on a limestone bluff overlooking the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
Caves in the sandstone bluffs of the Mississippi River at Piasa Park, just outside Alton, Illinois
The Legend of the Piasa, Alton, Illinois
In 1673 Jacques Marquette reported that he and fellow French explorer Louis Jolliet discovered a painting of what was probably two "water monsters" on the bluffs of the Mississippi River near present-day Alton. By 1700 those pictograohic creatures were no longer visible. In 1836 the novelist John Russell described an image cut into the bluff of a legendary dragon-like creature with wings. According to Russel, the creature was called Piasa, "the bird that devours men." That version of the pictograph as well as myths about the Piasa have become prominent by folklore.
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
The Legend of the Piasa: In 1673 Jacques Marquette reported that he and fellow French explorer Louis Jolliet discovered a painting of what was probably two "water monsters" on the bluffs of the Mississippi River near present-day Alton. By 1700 those pictograohic creatures were no longer visible. In 1836 the novelist John Russell described an image cut into the bluff of a legendary dragon-like creature with wings. According to Russel, the creature was called Piasa, "the bird that devours men." That version of the pictograph as well as myths about the Piasa have become prominent by folklore.
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway, Illinois
The Legend of the Piasa, narrated on a arrowhead-shaped rock.
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
Mural of the Piasa Bird on a limestone bluff overlooking the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
Hoffman Gardens Bluff along the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois