# Riverton Lock

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**Riverton Lock**, also known as the **Colbert Shoals Lock**, was the entrance to [Colbert Shoals Canal](/source/Colbert_Shoals_Canal), a low water alternative route around Colbert and Bee Tree Shoals on the [Tennessee River](/source/Tennessee_River).

## History

The first major upstream landing on the [Tennessee River](/source/Tennessee_River) after leaving [Paducah, Kentucky](/source/Paducah,_Kentucky), was Riverton, a former town site in [Colbert County, Alabama](/source/Colbert_County,_Alabama).[1] Riverton was located on the east side of the junction of the [Tennessee River](/source/Tennessee_River) and Bear Creek, across Bear Creek from Eastport. Colbert and Bee Tree Shoals were immediately up river from Riverton and prevented major river traffic between Riverton and [Florence, Alabama](/source/Florence,_Alabama), for six months of the dry season.[2]

In the late 1890s [Muscle Shoals Canal](/source/Muscle_Shoals_Canal) was nearing completion; this traversed the other major shoals above Florence, Alabama, and [Chattanooga, Tennessee](/source/Chattanooga,_Tennessee). In 1891, [George Washington Goethals](/source/George_Washington_Goethals), an engineer and US Army officer, was promoted to captain and was assigned the oversight of completing Muscle Shoals Canal. Goethals developed a design for a single high [lift lock](/source/Boat_lift) to be located at the downstream end of Colbert Shoals canal at Riverton. Goethals was successful in convincing the [Army Corps of Engineers](/source/United_States_Army_Corps_of_Engineers) that the high lift lock was feasible and was eventually given the approval for its construction.[3]

Riverton Lock began operation on November 11, 1911, and at its completion was the highest lift lock in the world.[3] Completed dimensions are 80 feet (24 m) wide and 350 feet (110 m) inside the miter sills with a lift of 26 feet (7.9 m).[4]

After the success Goethals had with the design and construction of Riverton Lock, he was transferred to Panama and given the responsibility of designing and constructing the [Panama Canal](/source/Panama_Canal). Many of the principles developed at Riverton Lock were applied to the Panama Locks. Goethals later became the first Governor of the [Panama Canal Zone](/source/Panama_Canal_Zone).[3]

[Riverton Lock was flooded](/source/List_of_ghost_towns_in_Alabama) when [Pickwick Landing Dam](/source/Pickwick_Landing_Dam) was completed on February 8, 1938.[1]

## References

1. ["Drowned towns: What traces of 'ghost' cities lie beneath Alabama's man-made lakes?"](https://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2014/11/drowned_towns_what_traces_of_g.html) page at al.com

1. [Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers, United States Army](https://books.google.com/books?id=VR5JAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA1135), 1925

1. [*The Panama Canal - an army's enterprise*](https://web.archive.org/web/20100608152619/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/panama/panamacanal/CMH-70-115-1-PanamaCanal.pdf) p14, Center of Military History, United States Army

1. Congressional Series of United States Public Document, Volume 6206 page 107) (62D Congress:: 2nd Session:: December 4, 1911:: August 26, 1912 :: House Documents Volume 24

## External links

- Map sources: . Google aerial photo shows some ruined buildings in the lake at this point which are very likely to be buildings associated with the lock.
- [Big Cat Man's page](https://www.bigcatman.com/riverton.html) with map and several photos

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Riverton Lock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverton_Lock) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverton_Lock?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.