Rare Photos: Brandon Road Lock & Dam Being Built

JOLIET, IL - It won't be confused with Egypt's Great Pyramids and India's Taj Mahal but Joliet's Brandon Road Lock and Dam is quite an impressive structure. It was originally built between 1927 and 1933. Nowadays, it's on the National Register of Historic Places.

"The Brandon Road Lock and Dam is significant as a component of the Illinois Waterway, which was developed to provide a navigable route from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River and beyond," the registry notes.

We've selected the Brandon Locks for this week's historical feature at the Joliet Patch. The following photos were taken in the 1930s. They are part of the Joliet Area Historical Museum's collection of local artifacts.

Images via Joliet Area Historical Museum and Army Corps of Engineers