Melvin Price Locks and Dam

Lock & Dam 26 in Alton Illinois

Located on the Upper Mississippi River in Alton Illinois at River mile 200.78 17 miles North of St Mo is the Melvin Price lock and dam 26 construction began in 1979 the main lock was opened in 1990 the full structure was completed in 1994. The main lock is 1200 feet long and 110 feet wide the auxiliary is 600 feet long and 110 feet wide the main lock has a vertical lift gate and a miter gate the auxiliary lock has two miter gates the dam is 1160 feet long with 9 tainter gates each 110 feet wide by 42 feet high

Alton, IL Flooding - May 5, 2019

Drone footage of Alton, IL flooding. Footage includes video over downtown, the Alton Marina, and near the Melvin Price Lock & Dam.

Video is not for media use. Please contact me via email (benzwoolf@gmail.com) for licensing.

Bald Eagle Nest | Great Rivers National Byway - Alton, IL

Big thanks to our partner channel Dreamseek Digital for braving the cold for two days from sunrise to sunset in high winds to get these shots for your enjoyment. Subscribe and check out their channel:


This nesting location is located across from the Melvin Price Locks and Dam in East Alton, IL. The nest is safely and clearly viewable from the pedestrian path along the Mississippi River embankment. You can get more information on the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway and the annual eagle migration through Visit Alton at:


Here's a few Eagle viewing tips for you. Bring your best pair of binoculars as we've captured these shots with large telephoto lens and the Eagle tend to sit in the tree line across the Mississippi River. Eagles are most actively hunting during the morning hours shortly after sunrise til 11am and the nest again becomes very active during the late afternoon hours before leading up to sunset, and lastly dress warm; wear two layers of everything.

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Happy Eagle Watching!

Tour of National Great Rivers Museum in Alton

Angie Smith of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers takes us on a tour of the National Great Rivers Museum at the Melvin Price Locks and Dam in Alton.

1st Annual Sickle Cell Walk in Alton Illinois

1st Sickle Cell walk in Alton Illinois, on Sept 21st 2013 Held at Rock Springs Park.

Historic Alton Tour Pt. 5

Illinois' first State Prison was moved from Smallpox Island in the 1960's.

2012 Masters of the Sky

The National Great Rivers Museum along with the Meeting of the Great Rivers Foundation announces the return of the Masters of the Sky bird shows, presented by the World Bird Sanctuary, February 18-20, 2012, at the National Great Rivers Museum.

Our one-hour educational shows proudly complement the winter migration by bringing live bald eagles, owls, falcons, vultures and hawks to the National Great Rivers Museum where everyone can get an up-close view. These rehabilitated birds serve as ambassadors for their species. Naturalists focus their presentations on teaching the importance of raptors in the food chain, challenges they face as they travel from their northern nesting grounds to find a food source along the Mississippi River, and interesting traits of the species. One highlight of the show is experiencing flyovers from specially trained birds that skim just above the audience.

Shows begin at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. Seating is limited to the first 200 tickets per show. Due to high demand, shows will be conducted outside in a heated tent. Please dress accordingly. Cameras and binoculars for Eagle spotting are welcome. Other activities include hands-on craft workshops, photos with Eric the Eagle, a 14-minute film Where Eagles Soar, and more. Tours of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam will also be available for free. Show tickets are $5 per adult, $3 per child. Tickets are on sale at the National Great Rivers Museum, over the phone by calling 618-462-6979, or can be purchased online at mtrf.org.

This program is made possible by the Meeting of the Rivers Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the education and preservation of rivers. The National Great Rivers Museum is located off River Heritage Parkway (IL Hwy 143) at #2 Lock & Dam Way, East Alton, IL 62024, adjacent to Melvin Price Locks & Dam. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and has free admission plus the locks and dam tours. For more information, or to purchase tickets to a Masters of the Sky show, call 618-462-6979 or toll free 877-462-6979, or go online to mtrf.org. You can also find us on Facebook at facebook.com/GreatRivers.

Some Flooding Footage from May 5th, 2019 Alton Illinois area

Showing some of the flooding Mississippi River in the Alton Illinois area. The Levee at approx 9:30 to 10:30 is the only thing keeping the river out of West Alton Missouri and it seemed close to getting topped. Hard to tell from the drone perspective but there are 10 feet of water or more being held back by that levee. At approx the 13 minute mark we are near West Alton and the Missouri River can be seen near the top of the video. It seems to be behaving better than the Mississippi River and the levee is working nicely. Lots of rain and the high water is making it difficult or impossible for farmers to plant their crops. Rain water isn't able to run off. More rain is expected this week. And towards the end of the video, you are looking at the Missouri River and the Highway 367 bridge along with the BNSF railroad bridge. There are quarries on either side of the highway there so I flew over them as well. Thanks for watching!

kayaking at the dam Petersburg Illinois dam cold

Awesome kayaking at Petersburg Illinois dam

A few minutes on the river.

River side of the St Louis flood wall. Some sort of tie up at either the Granite City or Alton locks has boats stacked up waiting to lock through. The sound you hear is mostly idling big diesel engines with a bit of wind.

Illinois River Road (route 100

Just a saturday cruise on Illinois route 100 from hardin to grafton. Sorry about the buggs, they thought it was a nice day too. lol

USB LaGrange Lock & Dam Documentary Part 1 of 5

One of the most cost-effective methods of transport – our nation’s inland waterways – is in danger of becoming obsolete. In part one of this documentary featuring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, you’ll learn about one lock and dam in critical condition—the LaGrange Lock & Dam, located on the Illinois River.

Twisted Cat Outdoors Catfish Tournament July 2012 (Part 2)

4 parts 2 of 4 Outdoors Catfish Tournament July 21 2012 Columbia Bottoms Conservation area St Louis Mo

Ohio river locks