NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Illinois and Michigan Canal

The Illinois and Michigan Canal ran 97 miles (155 km) from the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago on the Chicago River to LaSalle, Illinois on the Illinois River. It was finished in 1848 and allowed boat transportation from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The canal enabled navigation across the Chicago Portage and helped establish Chicago as the transportation hub of the United States, opening before railroads were laid in the area. Image File history File links Illinois-michigan-canal. ... Image File history File links Illinois-michigan-canal. ... Bridgeport is a neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is one of 77 official community areas of Chicago. ... Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Official website: http://egov. ... Downtown buildings line the Chicago River The Chicago River is 156 miles (251 km) long, and flows through downtown Chicago, Illinois. ... La Salle is a city located in La Salle County, Illinois. ... This article is about the river in the U.S. state of Illinois. ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. ... This article is about the river in the United States. ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ... There are several traditions of navigation. ... The Chicago Portage connects the watersheds (BrE: drainage basin) and the navigable waterways of the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. ... This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ...

Construction on the canal began in 1836, although it was stopped for several years due to an Illinois state fiscal crisis. The Canal Commission had a grant of 284,000 acres (1,149 km²) of federal land which it sold at $1.25 per acre (309 $/km²) to finance the construction. Still, money had to be borrowed from eastern U.S. and British investors to finish the canal. Charles Darwin 1836 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area - Total - Width - Length - % water - Latitude - Longitude Ranked 25th 149,998 kmÂ² 340 km 629 km 4. ... Categories: US geography stubs ...

Most of the canal work was done by Irish immigrants who previously worked on the Erie Canal. The work was considered dangerous and in 1838 alone nearly 1,000 immigrant workers died during the work. The Irish immigrants who toiled to build the canal were often derided as a sub-class and were treated very poorly by other citizens of the city. The canal was finished in 1848, having cost a total of $6,170,226. Pumps were used to draw water to fill the canal near Chicago, soon supplemented by Sonet Creek through the Calumet Feeder Canal and the DuPage River supplied water further south. In 1865 the canal was deepened to speed up the current and to improve sewage disposal. Navvy is a shorter form of the word navigator and is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects. ... The Erie Canal (later replaced by part of the New York State Barge Canal system, which was renamed the Erie Canal) is a canal in New York State, United States, that runs from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. ... | JÃ¶ns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The DuPage River, a tributary of the Des Plaines River actually starts as two individual streams in DuPage County, Illinois. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Sewage includes domestic, municipal, or industrial liquid waste products disposed of via a pipe or similar structure. ...

The canal was 60 feet (20 m) wide and six feet (2 m) deep, with paths constructed along each edge to permit mules to be harnessed to tow barges along the canal. Towns were planned out along the path of the canal spaced at intervals corresponding to the length that the mules could haul the barges. It had fifteen locks and one aqueduct to cover the 140 foot (45 m) height difference between the Illinois and Chicago Rivers. From 1848 to 1854 the canal was a popular passenger route but this ended with the opening of a railroad in 1854 that ran parallel to the canal. The canal had its peak shipping year in 1882 and remained in use until after World War I. It was replaced by the larger Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1900 which remains in use. The canal ceased all operation in 1933. Canal locks in England. ... Pont du Gard, France, a Roman era aqueduct circa 19 BC, it is one of Frances top tourist attractions at over 1. ... Downtown buildings line the Chicago River The Chicago River is 156 miles (251 km) long, and flows through downtown Chicago, Illinois. ... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead:5 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:8 million Military dead:4 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:7 million The First World... 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. ... 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Experiencing a remarkable recovery from the devastating fire of 1871, Chicago rebuilt rapidly along the shores of the Chicago River. The river was especially important to the development of the city since all wastes from houses, farms, the stockyards and other industries could be dumped into the river and carried out into Lake Michigan.

The lake, however, was also the source of drinking water. During a tremendous storm in 1885, the rainfall washed refuse from the river far out into the lake, past the water intake cribs. Typhoid, cholera and other waterborne diseases from the contaminated drinking water took their toll. The Chicago Sanitary District (now The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District) was created by the Illinois legislature in 1889 in response to a terrible epidemic which killed thousands of residents of this fledgling city. 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. ...

This new agency devised a plan to construct channels and canals to reverse the flow of the rivers away from Lake Michigan and divert the contaminated water downstream where it could be diluted as it flowed into the Des Plaines and eventually the Mississippi.

In 1892, the direction of part of the Chicago River was reversed by the Army Corps of Engineers with the result that the river and much of Chicago's sewage flowed into the canal instead of into Lake Michigan. The complete reversal of the river's flow was accomplished when the Sanitary and Ship Canal was opened in 1900. 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... United States Army Corps of Engineers logo The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 military men and women. ... Sunset on Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. ...

Today much of the canal is a long, thin park with canoeing and a 61 mile (100 km) hiking and biking trail (constructed on the alignment of the mule tow paths). It also includes museums and historical canal buildings. It was designated the first National Heritage Corridor by US Congress in 1984. U.S. National Heritage Areas are designated areas in the United States, authorized by the U.S. Congress to encourage the preservation of history in areas of distinctive human impact on the landscape. ... Congress in Joint Session. ...

Bridgeport is a neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is one of 77 official community areas of Chicago. ... Summit is a village located in Cook County, Illinois. ... Willow Springs is a village located in Cook County, Illinois. ... Incorporated Village in 1873. ... Lockport is a city located in Will County, Illinois. ... Joliet is a city located in both Will and Kendall County, Illinois and is a suburb southwest of Chicago. ... Channahon is a village located in Will County, Illinois. ... Morris is a city located in Grundy County, Illinois. ... Seneca is a village located in Grundy County, Illinois. ... Marseilles is a city located in La Salle County, Illinois. ... Ottawa is known for several major reasons. ... Utica, founded in 1852, is located in La Salle County, Illinois, between La Salle and Ottawa, on the Illinois River. ... La Salle is a city located in La Salle County, Illinois. ... Aerial view of Peru, Illinois Peru is a city located in La Salle County, Illinois. ...

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