the water. There were 32 locks on the mainline (Yeater 5). All locks measure and were capable of passing barges long. The average barge was twice that size and drew too much water for the six-foot-deep canal (“Builder Tells Early Days of Hennepin Canal” 2). On the feeder canal, there was only one lock, called the guard lock, which was constructed to protect the canal from high river water. All thirty-three locks were manually operated (Yeater 5). On December 6, 1906, the Sterling Hydraulic Company agreed on the original plan to construct the dam at the foot of Tenth Avenue, Rock Falls (Hennepin Canal Feeder). By 1907, the dam was the only major project left on the canal. The stone excavated from Mile One of the feeder was used to build the dam (Bastian 138). To enclose the construction site, the coffer dam was built (The Hennepin Canal). Twenty-five locks were assembled and riveted. When the dam was finished, it was long (Bastian 140). The dam made the water rise above normal level. This led to the covering of of land. Water backed up all the way to Dixon. Many small islands remain submerged. After the completion of the canal in 1907, the feeder canal runs almost due south for . The main canal runs 75 miles (Hennepin Canal Feeder). One of the greatest crowds ever to gather in Rock Falls happened on October 24, 1907. A two and a half mile street parade in the morning was followed in the afternoon by a parade of boats from Rock Falls, Sterling, and Dixon (Hennepin Canal Feeder). When the canal was finished on October 21, 1907, the Corps of Engineers could not wait until spring for the first boat to pass down the canal. The first steamer to use the canal was the SS Marion, carrying government officials. This was the first boat to travel the entire length of the canal. The boat left on November 8 and returned on the November 15th. The canal was not completely filled, so each section's water had to be moved with the locks for the boat to pass. The boat had to be equipped with iron guards to break the formed ice. When it reached Lock 28, it had to push the lock open. When the boat reached the last five miles (8 km) of her journey, there was still a problem with the