McAlpine Locks and Dam

The McAlpine Locks and Dam is located on the Ohio River 604.5 miles below Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the northwestern end of Louisville, Kentucky, in the Portland neighborhood. The Falls of the Ohio are located at Louisville, Kentucky, and are the only falls in the entire length of the Ohio River. They consist of a rock reef extending across the river and forming a rapids having a length of about 3 miles. The low water slope in this distance is 26 feet and the falls or rapids in their natural state were impassable by vessels except at high stages.