Flowing southward from its Rock River source, around 29 miles away. The drop in elevation
between the Rock and the main canal is two and a half feet, averaging around one inch per mile.

The feeder was navigable. Most of the grain shipping eastward came from the elevators
along its banks. Nominal depth was seven feet, the same as that for the entire system.

Money for dredging the canal became scarce in the 1930s when it was apparent that
the canal was not a commercial success. This was the beginning of the end for the canal
as the accumulation of silt reduced the load carrying capacity of the remaining barges.