I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor Interpretive Plan 2005
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor Interpretive Plan 2005 Prepared by: Canal Corridor Association Primary Author: Ron Vasile, Historian Contributors: Diane Banta Ana B. Koval Laurie Scott Acknowledgements Funding for this report has been provided by the I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission through the Department of Interior. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U. S. Government. Mention of trade names and commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U. S. Government. The staff of the former I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission (Phyllis Ellin, Mary Tano, Roger Gasa, Connie Piazza) were helpful in gathering materials for this report. A draft of the corridor themes was produced by Canal Corridor Association and Barbara Levy and Associates. People throughout the corridor sent information on their sites and or programs as noted on the site inventory forms. These include: The Canallers in the Corridor; Lake Katherine Nature Preserve; Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie; Isle a la Cache Museum; Joliet Iron Works Historic Site; Hogan Grain Elevator; Illinois Waterway Visitor Center; Slovenian Heritage Museum; Worth Park District Historical Museum; Hegeler Carus Mansion; Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center and others. I&M Canal NHC Interpretive Plan, Canal Corridor Association, 2005 Table of Contents Part I: Status of Interpretation.........................................................................................1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................1 Statement of Goals and Objectives ..................................................................................1 Background........................................................................................................................2 Process................................................................................................................................3 Progress Since 1988 ...........................................................................................................3 Cook County Sites............................................................................................................ 4 Canal Origins Park, Chicago................................................................................... 4 Chicago Portage National Historic Site, Lyons........................................................ 4 Santa Fe Prairie, Hodgkins...................................................................................... 5 Heritage Quarries Recreation Area, Lemont............................................................ 5 Grundy County Sites ....................................................................................................... 5 Canalport Plaza, Morris.......................................................................................... 5 Canalport Park, Morris........................................................................................... 6 LaSalle County Sites ........................................................................................................ 6 Hegeler Carus Mansion, LaSalle ............................................................................. 6 Hogan Grain Elevator, Seneca................................................................................. 6 Will County Sites.............................................................................................................. 7 Gaylord and Norton Buildings, Lockport ................................................................ 7 Joliet Area Historical Museum, Joliet ...................................................................... 7 Joliet Iron Works Historic Site, Joliet....................................................................... 7 Canals and Trails.............................................................................................................. 8 Canal Rehabilitation................................................................................................ 8 New trail connections ............................................................................................. 9 Interpretive Systems ........................................................................................................ 9 I&M Canal Passage Wayfinding program............................................................... 9 Educational Programs ....................................................................................................10 Site-Specific Programs .......................................................................................... 10 Classroom Centered Programs and Tools ....................................................................11 Making Connections – What the I&M Canal is All About – Elementary Lesson Plans..................................................................................................................... 11 Illinois State Archives Packet ................................................................................ 11 Exploring the I&M Canal Passage - Teachers Workshop....................................... 11 I&M Canal History Fair Awards .......................................................................... 11 Canal Origins Park Education Initiative............................................................... 11 The Last Great Canal: How the I&M Canal United 19th Century America - Teacher Workshops............................................................................................................. 12 Swamp to City - Curricula.................................................................................... 12 Other Regional Initiatives ..............................................................................................13 Canallers in the Corridor....................................................................................... 13 I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission............................................ 13 I&M Canal Sesquicentennial ................................................................................ 13 Docent Training Program..................................................................................... 14 Prairie Tides Film ................................................................................................. 15 ISHS Markers ....................................................................................................... 15 I&M Canal NHC Interpretive Plan, Canal Corridor Association, 2005 Part II: Interpretive Framework....................................................................................16 Brief Canal History .........................................................................................................16 The Canal Era ..................................................................................................................16 A New Transportation Corridor....................................................................................17 The I&M Canal and the Making of Chicago.................................................................17 Changes Wrought by the Canal.....................................................................................18 Abraham Lincoln Praises the I&M Canal .....................................................................18 A Story with National and International Significance.................................................19 Basic Canal and Corridor Facts......................................................................................20 Corridor Overview .........................................................................................................20 Natural History ...............................................................................................................20 Native Americans ...........................................................................................................21 French Era and Early Settlement ...................................................................................22 Basic I&M Canal Facts ....................................................................................................23 Pre-construction and construction period ....................................................................24 Canal operation...............................................................................................................25 Canal towns.....................................................................................................................26 Changes brought about by the I&M Canal...................................................................27 Canal and Corridor Timeline.........................................................................................29 Corridor Interpretive Themes........................................................................................32 Corridor Story line: .........................................................................................................32 Theme 1: Transportation ................................................................................................32 Sub-theme 1.1: Native Americansthe first to travel and live in the passageway . 32 Sub-theme 1.2: People dreamed of the canal long before it was built. ..................... 33 Sub-theme 1.3: Canal constructionbuilding the canal