Beginning in the 1930s, America built 29 giant locks and dams across the Mississippi River and they turned a wild river into a massive water staircase

The Upper Mississippi River's navigation was transformed by America's construction of locks and dams in the 1930s. While these aging structures facilitate the annual transport of millions of tons of goods, supporting vital economic activity, they have also inflicted ecological harm on river ecosystems. Current modernization initiatives strive to enhance navigational reliability while simultaneously mitigating environmental impacts.