Mile 195.0 - LBD Mouth of Wood River (Cahokia Diversion Canal)

John Ruskey

20 Apr 2026 � 1 min read

195 LBD Mouth of Wood River (Cahokia Diversion Canal)

The once sylvan glade and crystal clear waters of the River Dubois (Wood River) have been placed in a straight jacket and made to cough out the foul discharge of the nearby farms, refineries, feedlots and storm-water overflow, and would not be recognizable by those paddlers of yester-year like Lewis & Clark, who reported its shady glens to be full of fruit and nut-bearing trees, flocks of wild turkey, and endless herds of deer. Regardless of this sad fate, the mouth of the Wood River today forms a small harbor, and would make an easy exit place in case of impending front line winds or severe thunderstorms. You could eddy out and quickly make landing here. It would also be a good place to beach your vessel and take a walk over the levee for a visit to the Lewis & Clark Memorial Tower. (Be sure to drag your canoe up the bank and tie it up). There is a road along the south side of the Wood River. Follow it to the levee, walk north up levee to observation tower.

Just above the Wood River the dredgeboat America is sunk on the Illinois shore and listing into the river at a steep angle. This was last observed in 2015. Maybe someday it will be recovered.

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