Winfield Locks and Dam

Last fall, on the day before Thanksgiving, I ran over to Charleston to interview two executives of Madison Coal & Supply for a freelance article I was doing. Then I had to get to Ohio to see some of my wife's family who were in from far out of town for the holiday. On the way, I stopped at the Winfield Locks and Dam on the Kanawha River to get some photos should I ever need them.

Those of you familiar with the Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam -- formerly known as the Gallipolis Locks and Dam -- will notice how the two structures look alike. Both were built during the Depression, but that's not the only connection. Gallipolis was built as part of an improvement project on the Kanawha to replace the older dams -- low-lift or wicket or whatever you want to call them.

The locks are on the other side of the river. These were taken from the Winfield side, where the hydroelectric plant and a fishing area are. Here's one taken from the fishing area.

Here are some markings that I assume are elevations above mean sea level.

As I was about to leave -- I wanted to see some kids, the light wasn't the best and I wanted to get in out of the cold -- I saw the mv. Bill Stile leaving the main lock downbound. Yes, it exited the lock and had to make a sharp turn to the right or starboard or whatever.

As I said in an entry last night, I'm going back to the Winfield dam when the weather is warmer and the scenery is greener. I hope to do that with several dams on the Ohio, too, especially the ones that are closer to Huntington but are normally out of my normal range.

Maybe the Corps of Engineers will let me inside the security areas to get some decent photos.

As I sit here and write this, I think, man, I love doing this blog.