Indiana, Posey County
river mile 846
On this hot sunny June afternoon, lots of mayflies, just hatched, leaving the river. And, hundreds of tree swallows circling above the locks, hungrily eating them. Silence, except for the low murmur of the low water running through the locks. Kentucky islands on the other side. Hot, dry. One person operates them? At least there is only a motorcycle in the parking lot. We have seen two people from the office drive away in their cars at the end of the day. A modern civil engineering marvel, so quiet, so lonely. Or peaceful.
Could you camp overnight here? The US Army Corps of Engineers runs many excellent campgrounds at dam sites. The usual regulations about approaching a locks and dam apply. There’s an open parking lot, a manicured lawn. Toilet and water. But would someone come out and politely ask you to leave?
The swallows chirp.
John T. Myers, who died in 2015, represented much of western Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives for the thirty years from 1966 to 1996.
Old Lock 49 Road does not lead to anyplace.
Field research June 2016
Next park: Old Shawneetown
Ohio River Parks Project 