The complex includes a lock, dam, control station, boiler house, and a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) section of navigation canal.

The state of Illinois began work on the complex in 1920 by digging the canal, which was completed in 1925.

The state also began construction on the lock, dam, and control station; however, due to financial difficulties these projects were finished by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The lock and dam complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

This article about a property in LaSalle County, Illinois on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub.