The Illinois and Michigan Canal is a historically rich artery of travel, connecting the east coast to the Mississippi River. Wed ding of the Waters

Part One: touring the canals’ history from to Morris

Story By Kathy Andrews assistance from numerous volunteer organizations—and provides a trans - 1The2las,t g0lac0iers0retreyat efromanorrtshernaIllingoiso , leaving Photos By Adele Hodde a rich landscape of rivers, prairies, forests and lakes. portation route frequented by hikers, Mastodons, mammoths and giant beavers become Historic photos courtesy bicyclists, joggers, kayakers, birders, extinct. of Lewis University Canal photographers, and, when conditions permit, snowmobilers. Jolliet and Marquette explore northern Illinois, and Jol - Collections 1673 Hal Hassen, the cultural resource liet recommends construction of a canal to link Lake Michigan with the Gulf of Mexico. coordinator for the Department of Natur - early 150 years of dreaming, al Resources (DNR) points out that 1Fort6St.8Lo2uis built atop Starved Rock. planning and negotiation led today the I&M Canal serves as an to 12 years of back-breaking important corridor to Illinois’ past. 1The7Bri6tish3 wrest control of the area from the French. work. The threat of cholera, “Visitors traveling the towpath are typhoid and malaria knocked transported back in time with every step 1Mos7t of6the9 Illinois tribe are killed after one is implicat - ed in the death of Chief Pontiac. at the doors of crude shanties they take,” Hassen said. “Historic locks, thrown together to provide a locktender houses, a toll house and a 1Por7tage7sit0e used as a trade route during the Revolu - Nmodicum of protection from the cold grain elevator are interpreted and tionary War. winter gales and scorching summer accessible to visitors. The communities days of the frontier prairie. that sprang up along the canal have his - 1Wha7t is8no3w Illinois comes into American hands. Without the vision of its proponents— toric properties that visitors may enjoy. 1Trea7ty 9of G5 reenville and the sweat of thousands of immigrant Visiting the canal is like entering a time transfers land around laborers—the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) mouth of the Chicago

Canal would not have been dug, wedding ) . n o River from Native i t a

Lake Michigan to the , and i c

Americans to U.S. o s ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. Chicago s A

control. r Des Plaines River and I&M Canal, o d i

would have undoubtedly remained a r Joliet circa 1890. r o C l

Construction begun on Fort Dearborn in Chicago. quaint lakeside community rather than a 1803 n a C

becoming the keystone of transportation e h t

War of 1812 with Britain begins. Battle at Fort Dear - y 1812 across the developing nation. s e t r

born. u o

While veering from its original intent, c o t o h

today the 96-mile canal trail is managed P ( 2 / Outdoor Illinois June 2006 by state and county agencies—with Railing at Canal Origins Park. 1Trea8ty 1with6 Ottawa and Potawatomi; Chippewa tribes cedes land along the Illinois River to build a canal.

1Illino8is b1ec8omes the 21st state.

1A fe8der2al a2 ct authorizes survey and building of the canal but provides no funds.

1Erie8Ca2nal5 opens, leading to increased immigration to Illinois.

1Con8gre2ss g7 ives Illi - nois 284,000 acres of land to finance construction of the canal. Lock 6 at Channahon circa 1900. Along the I&M Canal, visitors can see a variety of Financing for the canal project was 1The8tow3ns0 of Chicago and Ottawa are laid out by the Canal Commissioners. historic buildings, including the Locktender’s obtained in 1827 when the U.S. govern - ment granted Illinois 284,000 acres. In house at Channahon (left) and the Rutherford Inn Black Hawk War; treaties the following year banish 1829 the Canal Commission undertook 1832 Native American’s west of the Mississippi River. and barn (above) at Dresden. negotiation of land sales to generate resources for construction purposes and 1Con8stru3ctio6 n on I&M Canal begins. capsule and getting a glimpse of a loca - surveying of sites for communities that tion unlike any other in Illinois.” sprang up from Chicago to LaSalle. 1Pan8ic o3f 187 37, first major national depression. “The I&M Canal is one of Illinois’ Twelve years after the July 4, 1836 Labor violence erupts among canal workers. most important stories, perhaps sur - groundbreaking ceremony—but nearly 1838 passed only by Abraham Lincoln,” Ana 150 years after conceptualization of a 1Mos8t w4ork0on -th1e ca8nal4hal4 ted due to lack of funds. canal—barges laden with passengers and ) . goods pulled away from Chicago docks. Canal diggers unsuccessfully strike for more wages

n 1847 o i t

a and fewer hours. i

c Ron Vasile, historian for the Canal o s s

A Corridor Association, has conducted r o I&M canal opens in April. First railroad begun in Chica - d i 1848 r r extensive research on the canal. o go and first telegraph message received. The Chicago C l a n “The canal became a functional entity Board of Trade founded to handle increased shipments a C e of grain. h and played a key role in the California t y s e t gold rush and the Underground Railroad r u o c 1A de8va4stat9ing cholera epidemic arrives in Chicago via o and, unfortunately, was linked to a major t o passengers from a canal boat. h P ( cholera epidemic that swept across the An interpretive panel in the Gaylord Building county,” Vasile said. “The canal also Last year of major pas - National Trust Historic Site. 1852 became internationally significant when senger travel on the I&M; B. Koval, president of the Canal Corridor European investors put up $1.6 million Chicago and Rock Island Association claimed. “The waterway to finalize construction after Illinois’ R.R. parallels canal. changed how people and goods were financial resources plummeted.” 1Chic8ag5o an4 d Rock Island I&M Canal at Lockport circa 1910. transported throughout the country. R.R. opened to the Mississippi River. )

Although the canal no longer functions, . n o i t a it set the framework for a reliance on i State penitentiary built in Joliet. c 1858 o s s water-based transportation that contin - A r o

d U. S. Civil War. i

r 1861-1865 ues today.” r o C l

Creation of a water route from the a n

a Canal brings in more than $300,000 in tolls, the most

C 1866 east coast to and beyond e h

t ever. Another cholera epidemic sweeps through the y s e was a vision originating with explorers of t region. r u o the developing new nation. Pathways c o t o

h Iron and steel works open in Joliet; Chicago Water

P 1869 that Native Americans had traveled for ( Tower and pumping works open. centuries drew explorers, map makers, An annual youth fishing event at Lock 14. fur traders and missionaries. Developing When the Chicago and Rock Island 1I&M8Ca7nal1 deepened and the flow of the the waterway was an integral part of the Railroad reached LaSalle in 1853 it sig - reversed, allowing Chicago sewage to be sent down creation of Illinois as the 21st state in naled the demise of the passenger the Illinois River; Great Chicago Fire; debt on the canal 1818, and became a leveraging tool for packet boats, but for several more paid off. setting the state’s northern boundary. decades the canal continued to provide June 2006 Outdoor Illinois / 3 1Gre8ates8t to2 nnage shipped on the canal in a year, more than 1 million tons.

1San9itar0y an0 d Ship Canal opens.

1Tex9aco1oil1 refinery opens in Lockport; Starved Rock designated a state park.

1I&M9exp1eri4enc-es1a b9rief1res8 urgence during World War I.

1Cal9Sag2Ch2 annel opens.

1Illino9is W3at3 erway opens and I&M Canal officially closes; Civilian Conser - Boat with a cargo of salt at Lock 8 vation Corps establishes circa 1912. camps along the I&M to make repairs. Sited adjacent to the I&M Canal at the Canalport Learning the history of canal commu - 1Des9ign3atio5n of Illinois and Michigan Canal State Park - nities that stood the test of time, and way from Joliet to LaSalle. Plaza in Morris, a replica canal boat provides visi - those that faded into near oblivion with tors a sense of what travel was like down the 1U.S9. inv4olv1eme-n1t in9Wo4rld 5War II. canal commerce, has been made easy nearly 100-mile water trail. by technological advances. A course of 1Tow9n o4f Se2nec-a1bu9ilds4LST5 ’s (landing ship tanks), and travel that at one time took days can the Joliet Arsenal provides TNT for American troops in an economic means of shipping freight, now be made in a few hours. World War II. especially bulk items such as coal, Websites produced by DNR and the stone and timber. It was the 1900 open - Canal Corridor Association (see sidebar) 1I&M9Ca6nal3 designated a National Historic Landmark. ing of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship provide detailed descriptions and pho - O 3 Stevenson Expressway opens in Chicago, built over Canal that signaled the end of the canal, 5 1964 M tographs of historical landmarks, natural 5 O the first seven miles of the I&M Canal; dedication of a fate sealed when channelization of the 4 features and commOunity services. And old canal warehouse in Utica for the LaSalle County L 2 Illinois River was completed in 1933, after tak3ing these virtual tours, who Historical Society. D 1 providing a wider and deNeper shipping wouldn’t itch for a chance to see the

lane to the Mississippi River. canal first hand? Whether you dedicate a 4 U 5 L

iver E R C Chicago Portage FOREST G National Historic Site Chicago Sa 30 WILLOWBROOK A K VIEW P O MC COOK & Ship Ca MILLINGTON 53 e O 5 ag U CCOUNTRYSIDE P DARIEN D u I&M Canal from D BOLINGBROOK BURR HODGKINS SUMMIT ARK RIDGEDeep Tunnel (TARP) 55 83 171 Chicago Santa Fe Prairie 47 Waterfall BEDFORD Midway WILLOW Airport Chicago to Morris . Glen JUSTICE PARK d Black Partridge SPRINGS 126 ALT R Woods Nature Forest t Preserve r Heritage lie Preserve s Rive ail BURBANK o ine Tr Corridor ? Veterans J Pla nal Bicycle Keepataw es M Ca Convention and PLAINFIELD Woods Preserve D I& Visitors Bureau N St. James of the Sag Little Red BRIDGEVIEW ort Church and Cemetery HICKORY h ROMEOVILLE Trail Schoolhouse al HILLS ni al Sag Quarries ? Nature Center n Can te Camp 12 Lake Renwick 55 n Palos & Sag Valley Isle a la Cache e LEMONT Sagawau 20 0 4 Kilometers Heron Rookery C M 83 Forest Preserves 52 ? Museum 13 HOMETOWN Nature Preserve Re & 5th 171 nw I PALOS ick St 294 0 4 Miles . . HILLS 7 O R C o OAK Aux Sable C . ad r e e k L O LAWN I&M Canal Aqueduct L WORTH C LISBON C PALOS 50 O. A L Lake C D 30 I&M Canal Visitor Center/ PARK O L Runyon Preserve Katherine EVERGREEN . I&M Canal Trail N I 59 P ? Gaylord Building Visitor information l Nature Preserve ? E W a Lockport Prairie LOCKPORT CHICAGO PARK i . W K n Nature Preserve Will Co. Historical Society Museum . PALOS 83 RIDGE f ? i Lock #1 O e Lockport Lock and O HEIGHTS l C ALSIP Lock MORRIS Historic canal towns 52 d Dam Gaylord Donnelley Canal Trail C L MERRIONETTE Dellwood Park K L R 7 Lock #2 7 I 7 PARK 9 O CRESTWOOD o Lock #3 Trail access point Corridor boundary SHOREWOOD a 171 W O 7 d . 53 Lock #4 C d r ORLAND PARK C BLUE R Old Illinois State Penitentiary a e JOLIET MIDLOTHIAN lu v t m i e ISLAND l Billie Limacher Will- Joliet Iron Works t CALUMET R o Historic Site 6 Sa PARK b ? Joliet Bicentennial Park ROBBINS g Cha u Union Station nne o l I ek H 6 80 re ROCKDALE Convention and 57 C C anal r C Visitors Bureau ? Pilcher OAK 83 e & M H ORLAND RIVERDALE e ble MINOOKA 55 I ic Park FOREST k a Brandon Road k S Pag e er o HILLS Du l iv Lock and Dam r e Trai R y TINLEY DIXMOOR l Stat ines d 80 ana la a PARK x C P o Au M 53 R 30 D & 6 43 I M Canal State MORRIS I HARVEY Aux Sable MARKHAM Headquarters s r C NEW LENOX“The contre mplated canal between the Illino. is river and Lake Michi - Lock #8 Aqueduct e a d CHANNAHON e e Road ? Roa I Lock #6 Locktender's House D g k MOKENA 45 v 6 Cemetery & u A Nettle Creek Locktender's Lock #7 52 o M Channahon HAZEL Gebhard Aqueduct House G State Park gan, if we regard the mere location of it, is local; but if we regard C Woods SP Dresden Island C ? CREST W.G. Stratton Lock and Dam a SOU State Park ecke n eid a H the benefits resulting from it to the whole nation, COUNTRYand as a connect - 294 HOLLAND 8 P ake l ine L CLUB 80 ? McKinley HILLS HOMEWOOD Heidecke Woods ing link to the great chain of inland wamter communication between Goose Lake e Bl State Fish & l M uff Prairie State r THORNTON Wildlife Area a a Natural Area z New Orleans and some of the AtlantiHc states, it is clearly naFLOSSMOORtional. o FRANKFORT Des Plaines ELWOOD n R State 3 oad Abraham 29 Conservation Lincoln The extent of inland navigation, which wil30l be opened when this R Area National L iv e L Cemetery MATTESON GLENWOOD r ore MANHATTAN OLYMPIA nzo canal is completed, will not be equaled in any country; and its bene - . 80 FIELDS O R oad Midewin National d C . CHICAGO 8 113 a Tallgrass Prairie fits will be very generally and extensively felt. The political effect of o 38 Y O HEIGHTS R RICHTON D C FORD N L all such works is also very apparent. They wPARKill bring anPARKd bind more Carbon Hill L 1 HEIGHTS U I Des Plaines FOREST 30 R 50 47 W State SOUTH G closely together, the various parts of57the extended confederacy.” Conservation Area CHICAGO n COAL CITY r w 45 HEIGHTS e

o v t DIAMOND i

g R SAUK u Excerpt from 1831 speech of Illinois Governor STEGERReynolds, V D (Map courtesy the .) U 4 / Outdoor Illinois June 2006 reprinted in the Chicago Democrat, November 26, 18C33. 5 4 5 1 presents a chance to trace a significant portion of Illinois’ history. 1I&M9Ca6nal9 office in Lockport closed and turned over to the Will County Historical Society. “The I&M Canal is one of Illinois’ most unique resources,” Hassen con - 1I&M9Ca7nal4 transferred to the jurisdiction of the Depart - cluded. “The canal transformed Chicago ment of Conservation (now Department of Natural into a transportation crossroads, setting Resources). into motion a system that continues to National Park Service serve the people of Illinois.” 1981 releases concept plan Today, no matter your mode of trav - for I&M Heritage Corri - el, the I&M Canal will take you on a trail dor. of discovery of a land shaped by Native Americans, French explorers and thou - 1I&M9Na8tion4 al Heritage Lock 8 at Aux Sable circa 1930. sands of immigrant laborers. You’ll pass Corridor named the nation’s first Heritage Corridor. through communities once frequented by mule tenders, frontier businessmen 1509th a9nni8versary of the opening of the canal; dedica - In Evergreen Cemetery at Morris, a large boulder and pioneers with a dream of carving tion of the Joliet Iron Works Historic Site. marks the grave of Potawatomi Chief Shabonna. out a life on the prairie. 2Cor0rido0r dr0iving tour signs installed.

2Jolie0t A0rea2 Historical Museum opens. day or several long weekends to explor - oin us for next month as our trek ing the trail on bike or foot, or opt for all or I&M Canal Heritage Corridor Commission sunsets. down the I&M Canal continues from 2004 part of the 75-mile driving tour from J Seneca to LaSalle-Peru. Lemont to LaSalle-Peru, the I&M Canal Timeline courtesy of the Canal Corridor Association.

I&M Canal Partners Places to See and Things to Do

I The Department of Natural Resources o learn more about the natural and historic resources located along the I&M Canal, and owns and manages the I&M Canal and the Tassociated recreational activities, visit www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/I&M/ various state parks within the Heritage Corri - Main.htm or www.canalcor.org. Both sites offer virtual tours of some of the canal structures. dor. Call (815) 942-0796 or visit www.dnr. Highlights of offerings are listed below. state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/i&m/main.htm. I The Canal Corridor Association is a pri - vate, not-for-profit organization dedicated to Natural community economic development, historic I Prairie habitats: Santa Fe Prairie Nature Preserve (Hodgkins), Lockport Prairie Nature preservation and conservation within the Her - Preserve (Lockport). itage Corridor. Phone (815) 588-1100 or visit www.canalcor.org. Historic I The Heritage Corridor Convention & Visi - I Canal locktenders house: Aux Sable, Channahon. tors Bureau is the certified Convention and I Canal locks: Aux Sable, Channahon. Visitors Bureau for the Heritage Corridor, and I Canal aqueduct: Aux Sable, Gebhard Woods State Park. all of Will, Grundy and LaSalle counties. I Phone (815) 727-2323 or visit Replica canal boat: Canalport Plaza (Morris). www.heritagecorridorcvb.com. I Diagonal bridge: Gebhard Woods State Park. I The Illinois and Michigan Canal National I Native American sites: Briscoe Mounds (1200 A.D., Channahon). Heritage Corridor Civic Center Authority is a I Civilian Conservation Corp structures: Channahon, Gebhard Woods State Park, Aux Sable. state agency committed to the historic, recre - I Cemeteries: Evergreen Cemetery (Chief Shabbona), Dresden Cemetery. ational and economic development of several I Rural structures: Dresden (Rutherford Inn, barn and warehouse). communities in the Heritage Corridor. Call I Museums: Isle a la Cache Museum (Romeoville), Gaylord Building National Trust His - (708) 352-4110. For information on the Santa toric Site (oldest remaining commercial building in the canal corridor, Lockport), Will County Fe Prairie Nature Preserve call (708) 598- Historic Society (housed in the original canal headquarters, Lockport), Grundy County His - 6139, or visit www.civiccenterauthority.org. I Forest Preserve District of Will County torical Society. facilities are open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. April through I Interpretive centers/features: Canal Origins Park (Chicago), Gebhard Woods State Park. October and 8 a.m.-5 p.m November through I Industrial ruins: Iron works (Joliet), brewery and furnace (Morris). March. Visit www.fpdwc.org for information on Lockport Prairie, Isle a La Cache Museum and Recreation McKinley Woods. Recreational opportunities available on the I&M Canal State Trail and the state and I Cook County Forest Preserve District. county facilities in proximity to the trail include picnicking, camping, hiking, bicycling, hunt - Canoe access to the I&M Canal is available at ing, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, boating, snowmobiling (when 4 or more inches of snow is the Willow Springs area (enter at Willow Springs present on the canal trail), wildlife observation, nature photography and more. Rd.). The FPD website also has a Chicago Portage Canoe Trail Map identifying launch For detailed information on programs offered at state sites (Gebhard Woods State Park, sites and canoe route distances from Stonyford Heidecke State Fish and Wildlife Area, Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area, Des Plaines to Lemont. Visit www.fpdcc.com or write Forest River Conservation Area) visit www.dnr.state.il.us/lands. Preserve District of Cook County, 536 North For information on properties managed by the Forest Preserve District of Will County Harlem Avenue, River Forest, IL 60305. (McKinley Woods, Lockport Prairie) visit www.fpdwc.org.

June 2006 Outdoor Illinois / 5