NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Chicago River

The Chicago River is 156 miles (251 km) long^[1], and flows through downtown Chicago. Though not especially long, the river is notable for the 19th century civil engineering feats that directed its flow south, away from Lake Michigan, into which it previously emptied, and towards the Mississippi River basin. This was done for reasons of sanitation. The river is also noted for the local custom of dying it green on St. Patrick's Day. Downtown buildings line the Chicago River (7/2004, by Rick Dikeman). ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area Ranked 25th - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 kmÂ²) - Width 210 miles (340 km) - Length 390 miles (629 km) - % water 4. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area - City 234. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... km redirects here. ... Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one in the group located entirely within the United States. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area - City 234. ... The Falkirk Wheel in Scotland. ... Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one in the group located entirely within the United States. ... For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ... St. ...

Geography

Originally, the river flowed into Lake Michigan. Today, the Main Stem of the Chicago River flows due west from Lake Michigan, past the Wrigley Building and the Merchandise Mart to Kinzie Street, where it meets the North Branch of the river. The North Branch is formed by the West Fork, the East Fork (also known as the Skokie River) and the Middle Fork, which join into the North Branch at Morton Grove, Illinois. From downtown, the river flows south along the South Branch, and into the Illinois and Michigan Canal and Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The gleaming white Wrigley Building (410 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois) is a skyscraper located directly across Michigan Avenue from the Tribune Tower. ... The Chicago Merchandise Mart North side of the Merchandise Mart Behind the Merchandise Mart A display inside the Merchandise Mart The Merchandise Mart is one of the largest commercial buildings in the world, located in Chicago, Illinois. ... The Skokie River is a small river that flows through the northern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. ... Morton Grove is a village located in Cook County, Illinois. ... The location and course of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. ... The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal is the only shipping link between the Great Lakes (specifically Lake Michigan by the Chicago River) with the Mississippi River system, by way of the Illinois and Des Plaines rivers. ...

History

The first non-Native American to settle near the Chicago River was Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, who built his farm on the northern bank at the mouth of the river in the 1780s^[2]. In 1808 Fort Dearborn was constructed on the opposite bank on the site of the present-day Michigan Avenue Bridge^[3]. In 1900 the river's flow was reversed in order to keep Lake Michigan clean. In 1915, the Eastland, an excursion boat docked at the Clark Street bridge, rolled over, killing 812 passengers^[4]. In 1928, the South Branch of the Chicago River between Polk and 18th Street was straightened and moved ¼ miles (400 m) west to make room for a railroad terminal. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3072x2048, 1590 KB) Kkmd (talk â€¢ contribs) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3072x2048, 1590 KB) Kkmd (talk â€¢ contribs) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable (c. ... Fort Dearborn, named in honor of Henry Dearborn, was a United States fort built on the Chicago River in 1803 by troops under Captain John Whistler. ... The Michigan Avenue Bridge, seen from the east along the river The Michigan Avenue Bridge is a bascule bridge that carries Michigan Avenue across the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, Illinois. ... On July 24, 1915, the Eastland, along with the Theodore Roosevelt and the Petoskey, were hired to take employees from Chicagos Western Electric Company to a picnic in Michigan City, Indiana. ...

Reversing the flow

Originally, the river flowed into Lake Michigan. As Chicago grew this allowed sewage and other pollution into the clean-water source for the city. This contributed to several public health issues including some problems with typhoid.^[5] Starting in the 1850s much of the flow was diverted across the Chicago Portage into the Illinois and Michigan Canal.^[6] In 1900, the Sanitary District of Chicago, then headed by Rudolph Hering, completely reversed the flow of the river using a series of canal locks and caused the river to flow into the newly completed Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Before this time the Chicago River was known by many local residents of Chicago as "the stinking river" because of the massive amounts of sewage and pollution which poured into the river from Chicago's booming industrial economy. Up through the 1980s, the river was quite dirty and often filled with garbage; however, during the 1990s, it underwent extensive cleaning as part of an effort at beautification by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. Public health is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis. ... This is about the disease typhoid fever. ... The Chicago Portage connects the watersheds (BrE: drainage basin) and the navigable waterways of the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. ... The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago is a government agency created in 1889 to protect the water quality of Lake Michigan, the major drinking water supply for the Chicago, Illinois area. ... Birth: 1847 in Philadelphia Death Date: 1923 Hes buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetary, 215 Belmont Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, plot 330 ( http://forever-care. ... Canal locks in England. ... Sewage is the liquid water produced by human society which typically contains washing water, laundry waste, faeces, urine and other liquid or semi-liquid wastes. ... It has been suggested that Pollutant be merged into this article or section. ... Waste inside a wheelie bin Waste in a bin bag Waste, rubbish, trash, garbage, or junk is unwanted or undesired material. ... Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is a United States politician, powerful member of the national and local Democratic Party and current mayor of Chicago, Illinois. ...

Recently, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign created a three-dimensional, hydrodynamic simulation of the Chicago River, which suggested that density currents are the cause of an observed bi-directional wintertime flow in the river. At the surface, the river flows east to west, away from Lake Michigan, as expected. But deep below, near the riverbed, water travels west to east, toward the lake.^[7] The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), is the largest campus in the University of Illinois system. ...

All outflows from the Great Lakes basin are regulated by a joint U.S.-Canadian commission and the outflow through the Chicago River is set under a U.S. Supreme Court decision (1967, modified 1980 and 1997). The city of Chicago is allowed to remove 3200 cubic feet per second (91 m³/s) of water from the Great Lakes system; about half of this, 1 billion US gallons a day (44 m³/s), is sent down the Chicago River, while the rest is used for drinking water.^[8] In late 2005 the Alliance for the Great Lakes proposed separating the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins.^[9] Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest judicial body in the...

Chicago Flood

In 1992 the Chicago Flood occurred when a pile driven into the river punctured a hole in the wall of the long abandoned tunnel of the Chicago Tunnel Company near Kinzie Street. Most of the 60-mile (97 km) network of underground freight railway, which encompasses much of downtown, was eventually flooded along with the lower levels of buildings it once serviced and attached underground shops and pedestrian ways. The Chicago Flood began on April 13, 1992 when a hole was punched through the bottom of the Chicago River into abandoned utility tunnels causing a leak which eventually flooded basements and underground facilities in much of the Chicago Loop. ... Pre-1910 photograph of the Chicago Tunnel Company The Chicago Tunnel Company built a unique freight tunnel network under the downtown of the city of Chicago. ...

Ecology

The Chicago River has been highly affected by the industrial and residential areas around with attendant changes to the quality of the water and riverbanks. Several species of warmwater fish are known to occur in the river including largemouth and smallmouth bass, rock bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish and carp. The river also has a large population of crayfish. The South Fork of the Main (South) Branch, which was the primary sewer for the Union Stock Yards and the meatpacking industry, was once so polluted that it became known as Bubbly Creek.^[10] Illinois has issued advisories regarding eating fish from the river due to PCB and mercury contamination, including a "do not eat" advisory for carp more than 12" long [1]. There are concerns that silver carp and bighead carp, now invasive species in the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, may reach the Great Lakes through the Chicago River [2]. Binomial name Micropterus salmoides The Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is a species of fish. ... Binomial name Micropterus dolomieu LacÃ©pÃ¨de, 1802 The smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. ... Binomial name Ambloplites rupestris (Rafinesque, 1817) The rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. ... Species - white crappie - black crappie Pomoxis is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (family Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. ... Binomial name Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque, 1819 The Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) is a species of freshwater fish. ... Families Akysidae Amblycipitidae Amphiliidae Andinichthyidae â€ Ariidae Aspredinidae Astroblepidae Auchenipteridae Austroglanididae Bagridae Callichthyidae Cetopsidae Chacidae Clariidae Claroteidae Cranoglanididae Diplomystidae Doradidae Erethistidae Heptapteridae Hypsidoridae â€ Ictaluridae Lacantuniidae Loricariidae Malapteruridae Mochokidae Nematogenyidae Pangasiidae Pimelodidae Plotosidae Pseudopimelodidae Schilbeidae Scoloplacidae Siluridae Sisoridae Trichomycteridae Conorhynchos (incertae sedis) Ancharias (incertae sedis) Catfish (order Siluriformes) are a very diverse... Genera Abramis Aristichthys Barbodes Carassius Cirrhinus Ctenopharyngodon Cyprinus Epalzeorhynchos Henicorhynchus Hypophthalmichthys Labeo Mylopharyngodon and others Carp is a common name for various freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fishes that dominates the fish faunas of Eurasia and North America. ... Families Astacoidea Astacidae Cambaridae Parastacoidea Parastacidae Crayfish, often referred to as crawfish or crawdad, are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are closely related. ... ÃŠÃŠÃŠÃŠThe Union Stock Yard & Transit Co. ... The meat packing industry is an industry that handles the slaughtering, processing and distribution of animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. ... Bubbly Creek is the nickname given to the South Fork of the Chicago Rivers South (Main) Branch. ... PCB may refer to: Brazilian Communist Party (in Portuguese, Partido Comunista Brasileiro) Communist Party of Bolivia (in Spanish, Partido Comunista de Bolivia) Pakistan Cricket Board PCB Piezotronics PCBoard, a bulletin board system software Police Complaints Board, which oversaw the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and... General Name, Symbol, Number mercury, Hg, 80 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 6, d Appearance silvery Standard atomic weight 200. ... Binomial name Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Richardson, 1845) The silver carp is a freshwater fish, a variety of Asian carp native to north and northeast Asia. ... Binomial name Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (Richardson, 1845) The bighead carp is a freshwater fish, one of several Asian carps. ... Lantana invasion of abandoned citrus plantation; Moshav Sdey Hemed, Israel The term invasive species refers to a subset of introduced species or non-indigenous species that are rapidly expanding outside of their native range. ... This article is about the river in the U.S. state of Illinois. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada-United States border. ...

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1984 Ã— 1488 pixel, file size: 827 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This image has been (or is hereby) released into the public domain by its creator, Knowledge Seeker. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1984 Ã— 1488 pixel, file size: 827 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This image has been (or is hereby) released into the public domain by its creator, Knowledge Seeker. ... St. ...

St. Patrick's Day

Bill King, the administrator of Chicago's St. Patrick's Day committee, stated that the idea of dyeing the Chicago River green originally came about by accident when a group of plumbers were using fluorescein dye to trace illegal substances that were polluting the river.^{[citation needed]} Fluorescein in dropper used for eye examination. ...

The chemical used during the 1960s to turn the river green was a fluorescent dye. This dye is not allowed anymore because the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlawed the use of the chemical that was proven to be harmful to the river. The secret ingredients used to dye the river green today are safe and are not harmful to the thousands of goldfish that make up a large percentage of the river's fish population. EPA redirects here. ... Trinomial name Carassius auratus auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) For the baked snack crackers, please see Goldfish (snack). ...

Bridges

The Chicago River has 45 movable bridges spanning it, down from a one-time high of 52 bridges. These bridges include several different types, including trunnion bascule, scherzer rolling lift, swing bridges and vertical lift bridges. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 603 Ã— 599 pixels Full resolution (1100 Ã— 1093 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 603 Ã— 599 pixels Full resolution (1100 Ã— 1093 pixel, file size: 1. ... State Street is the name given to one of the major thoroughfares in Chicago, Illinois. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 450 KB) Summary A small flotilla of boats passes through the open State Street Bridge on the Chicago River, Chicago, Illinois. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 450 KB) Summary A small flotilla of boats passes through the open State Street Bridge on the Chicago River, Chicago, Illinois. ... A movable bridge is a bridge that can changed in shape or position in order to allow large traffic to pass through it. ... A swing bridge is a bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring at or near to its center, about which it can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration below. ... A vertical lift bridge or lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck. ...

The following bascule bridges cross the river (and its south branch) into the Chicago Loop: Salmon Bay Bridge, Seattle, USA; a single leaf through truss with an above-deck counterweight A bascule bridge is a drawbridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or leaf, throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic. ... The Loop is what locals call the historical center of downtown Chicago. ...

The Franklin Street Bridge over the Chicago River was built in 1919. ... The Wells Street Bridge over the Chicago River was built in 1922. ... The Clark Street Bridge over the Chicago River was built in 1929. ... The Dearborn Street Bridge over the Chicago River was built in 1962. ... State Street is the name given to one of the major thoroughfares in Chicago, Illinois. ... The Michigan Avenue Bridge, seen from the east along the river The Michigan Avenue Bridge is a bascule bridge that carries Michigan Avenue across the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, Illinois. ...

See also

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area - City 234. ... This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Illinois: Apple River Big Muddy River Bonpas Creek Chicago River Des Plaines River DuPage River Edwards River Embarras River Fox River Green River Henderson Creek Illinois River Iroquois River Kankakee River Kaskaskia River Kishwaukee River La Moine River... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

References

^ About Friends of the Chicago River. Friends of the Chicago River. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
^ Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable. The McCormick Tribune Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
^ Durkin Keating, Ann. Fort Dearborn. Encyclopedia of Chicago 477. Chicago Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
^ Hilton, George W.. Eastland. Encyclopedia of Chicago 408. Chicago Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
^ Did 90,000 people die of typhoid fever and cholera in Chicago in 1885?. The Straight Dope. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
^ Cain, Louis P.. Water. Encyclopedia of Chicago 1324. Chicago Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
^ The River Under the River. Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) at the University of Illinois. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
^ Lake Michigan Diversion Supreme Court Consent Decree
^ Great Lakes and Mississippi River may soon be separated. South Bend Tribune. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
^ Upton Sinclair (1906). The Jungle. "Bubbly Creek" is an arm of the Chicago River, and forms the southern boundary of the yards; all the drainage of the square mile of packing-houses empties into it, so that it is really a great open sewer a hundred or two feet wide. One long arm of it is blind, and the filth stays there forever and a day. The grease and chemicals that are poured into it undergo all sorts of strange transformations, which are the cause of its name; it is constantly in motion, as if huge fish were feeding in it, or great leviathans disporting themselves in its depths. Bubbles of carbonic gas will rise to the surface and burst, and make rings two or three feet wide. Here and there the grease and filth have caked solid, and the creek looks like a bed of lava; chickens walk about on it, feeding, and many times an unwary stranger has started to stroll across, and vanished temporarily. The packers used to leave the creek that way, till every now and then the surface would catch on fire and burn furiously, and the fire department would have to come and put it out. Once, however, an ingenious stranger came and started to gather this filth in scows, to make lard out of; then the packers took the cue, and got out an injunction to stop him, and afterwards gathered it themselves. The banks of "Bubbly Creek" are plastered thick with hairs, and this also the packers gather and clean.

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Chicago Historical Society was founded in 1856. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Chicago Historical Society was founded in 1856. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Chicago Historical Society was founded in 1856. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. ... The Jungle (1906) is the title of the book of socialist American author Upton Sinclair. ... ÃŠÃŠÃŠÃŠThe Union Stock Yard & Transit Co. ... It has been suggested that Leviathan in rabbinic literature be merged into this article or section. ... Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of one carbon and two oxygen atoms, and is in a gaseous state in the atmosphere of the Earth. ... Lard refers to pig fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms. ...

External links

Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since April 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Chicago, Illinois | Rivers of Illinois Nickname: Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area - City 234. ... Chicago, looking North from State and Washington Streets This article is about the history of Chicago, Illinois. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Community areas of Chicago. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Landmarks of Chicago. ... Buckingham Fountain, donated to Chicago in 1927 by Kate Buckingham Anish Kapoors Cloud Gate (commonly known as The Bean) at Chicagos Millennium Park. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... The culture of Chicago, Illinois, is known for various forms of performing arts, such as improvisational comedy, and music, such as Chicago blues and soul. ... This article is about the landmark theater. ... Chicago holds a distinguished place in the history of American education. ... Municipal Flag of the City of Chicago The municipal flag of Chicago consists of two blue horizontal stripes on a field of white, each stripe one-sixth the height of the full flag, and placed slightly less than one-sixth of the way from the top or bottom, respectively. ... Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians, is a school district that controls over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois. ... The Chicagoland region is colored red. ... Image File history File links Municipal_Flag_of_Chicago. ...

Contents

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