The public will have a chance to take a closer look at one of Hastings’ most important pieces of river infrastructure later this month, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, opens Lock and Dam 2 for a free public open house.
The open house is scheduled for Saturday, July 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lock and Dam 2, located at 1350 Lock and Dam Road in Hastings. The event is free and open to the public.
For many people, Lock and Dam 2 is a familiar sight along the Mississippi River, but not everyone gets a chance to see what happens behind the scenes. The open house will give visitors a chance to tour areas of the facility that are normally closed to the public, meet employees who operate and maintain the lock and dam, and learn more about the work that keeps river traffic moving safely and reliably.
Built in 1930, Lock and Dam 2 has served the Mississippi River for nearly a century. The site last underwent major rehabilitation from 1987 to 1995, helping extend the life and reliability of a facility that remains an important part of the Upper Mississippi River navigation system.
That maintenance work is not small. Locks and dams act like water-based elevators, raising and lowering boats and barges between different sections of the river. The structures are massive, with lock gates weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds, and much of the important inspection work happens below the waterline.
Lock and Dam 2 was dewatered for inspection and maintenance in 2024, a process that requires crews to block off the lock chamber, pump the water out, and work against the calendar before shipping season begins. The project included concrete repairs, gate inspections and other work inside the 600-foot lock chamber. The last time the site had been dewatered before that was in 2007.
As one Corps maintenance foreman put it during that project, “We don't stop the Mississippi River. We just slow her down.”
While the lock and dam may look simple from a distance, it plays a key role in keeping commercial traffic moving on the river. The St. Paul District’s navigation program maintains a nine-foot navigation channel and operates 13 locks and dams from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa. That system supports the movement of commercial goods, helps serve national security needs, and remains an important part of the nation’s economy.
For visitors, the open house offers a chance to see how that larger system works at the local level. Staff will be available to talk about what they do each day to maintain safe and reliable navigation, and guests will be able to ask questions about the facility, the river, and the work needed to keep the system operating.
The event is also a chance for families, river watchers, history fans and anyone curious about the Mississippi River to learn more about a structure that has been part of Hastings since 1930.
The open house will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 18, at Lock and Dam 2, 1350 Lock and Dam Road in Hastings. Admission is free.