Montgomery Cunningham Meigs Jr.

Montgomery Cunningham "Monty" Meigs Jr. (February 27, 1847 – December 9, 1931) was an American civil engineer.

Background The son of U.S. Army General Montgomery C. Meigs, he was born in Detroit, Michigan, and educated at Harvard University and in Germany. He worked for a few years for the Northern Pacific Railroad, before taking the post of a civil engineer in Keokuk, Iowa, in 1882.

Civil career The junior Meigs is best known for his management of the canal and locks at the Des Moines Rapids, as well his involvement in the construction of the dam at the same which inundated the canal.

Although Meigs had not served in the military, he was often referred to as "Major" out of courtesy, because his predecessor at the Des Moines Rapids had been an army officer. Meigs' design for traffic control at the canal and locks prompted Captain F.A. Whitney to tell the Saturday Evening Post in 1924 that he could not recall a single incident having occurred by any vessel passing through the locks, so long as the rules had been obeyed, and that Meigs did not hesitate to become involved personally if needs be.

Other interests and skills Meigs was an accomplished riverboat pilot. One of his six daughters, author Cornelia Meigs, wrote in the Keokuk Daily Gate newspaper, dated July 30, 1966:

He also built and designed steamboats and steam dredge tenders. From 1910 to 1913 he was the local inspecting engineer in the construction of the great lock, dry dock, and power developments on the Mississippi at Keokuk.