Construction of canal improvements using stiffleg derricks which were used to lift and move the heavy stones, 1872. The Louisville and Portland Canal Company, with the help of Army engineers, operated a canal around the Falls of the Ohio from 1830 to 1874 when Congress handed over full jurisdiction to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In 1875, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began constructing locks and dams along the entire length of the Ohio River. Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District operates seven locks and dam systems along the Ohio River. More than 415 million tons of cargo pass through the district’s Ohio River locks annually, powering America’s economy with the most cost and energy efficient way to transport commodities