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Peoria Lake Sunset
Cooper Park, East Peoria
The Peoria-Pekin metropolitan area, about a third of the way to the Mississippi River from the Illinois River's formation in northeastern Illinois, is the largest urban area along the Illinois River. Here the river flows through the Peoria lakes (upper and lower), which is a natural widening of the river made much larger and deeper by the Peoria Lock and Dam. The Peoria Pool, created by the lock and dam to facillitate river navigation, extends from the Peoria Lock and Dam to the Starved Rock Lock and Dam.