Legacies
"...The legacy of the canal is still evident in Chicago"
-Professor J.M. Lamb
-Professor J.M. Lamb
Linkage of the Nation
"The canal provided a direct water link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River...." -Encyclopedia of Chicago "The Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal began the final link in a national plan to connect different regions of the North American continent via natural and man-made waterways. Once completed in 1848, the nearly 100-mile-long canal created a new transportation corridor that linked the Eastern United States, the Great Lakes, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico."
-David A. Beldan |
Video Clip From: "Discovering the I&M Canal" Trailer
Population Growth of Illinois
"The canal connected... Lemont, Lockport, Joliet, Channahon, Morris, Seneca, Marseilles, Ottawa, Utica and La Salle. ... In 1827 not one of the above towns existed, including Chicago. The destinies of all these towns were tied up with the development of the canal, both before its completion in 1848 and afterwards." -Professor J.M. Lamb |
Industrialization of Illinois
"The importance... a NATIONAL system of political economy aimed at deliberate settlement and economic development -- meaning industrialization -- and, further, that system of political economy was successfully implemented -- and one of the most conspicuous examples of that success is the creation and growth of the City of Chicago." -"The Secret Origins of Chicago" |
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Video Clip From: Personal Interview with Ana B. Koval, President and CEO of the Canal Corridor Association
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“It seems difficult to reconcile a regional reorientation of trade from a north-south to an east-west axis with the tiny ditch called the Illinois and Michigan Canal. But the canal, having been accountable for Chicago’s founding, then became heavily responsible for its rampant growth and rising economic importance.” -David Solzman |
City Charter For Chicago
“Canal workers and land speculators combined to create a breathtaking growth in Chicago’s population. In 1829, only about 30 people lived in the little settlement along the Chicago River. By 1831 the population had doubled. Chicago was on the brink of transformation from a bucolic encampment to a village of near-frantic activity and explosive growth. In 1832, Cook County was incorporated, with Chicago as its county seat. In August 1833, Chicago was declared a town, and its population was estimated at 350. After the departure of the natives, bewitched immigrants swarmed into the town as if propelled to a gold rush. In 1837, with a population of 4,170, Chicago received its city charter.”
-Libby Hill
The linkage between the waterways of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mississippi River brought about by the Illinois and Michigan Canal fostered immigration and commerce, ultimately leading to a Chicago city charter. |
Video Clip From: Personal Interview with Ana B. Koval, President and CEO of the Canal Corridor Association
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