The History of the Chicago River

The Chicago River, a 156-mile waterway made up of a series of rivers and waterways, played a critical role in the establishment of the city of Chicago. The Native Americans were the first to discover the crucial role of the river in linking the Great Lakes and the Mississippi river. Early traders and explorers embraced the importance of the river and began building settlements. Most well-known among the early settlements of the Chicago River was the fur trader Jean Baptiste DuSable.[1] DuSable is famous for being the founder of the town of Chicago. The settlements, built in the late 18th Century, was the trigger for other settlers and natives to construct their houses along the river as well.[2] The settlements, however, lead to the rise of tensions between the natives and the settlers resulting in several bloody attacks in the years that followed. The violence delayed the growth of the town, although, trade did later increase. The river, together, with the re-engineering that later took place, shaped to the history of the city of Chicago.

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The contribution of the Chicago River plays a huge role in shaping the history of our city. The river is solely responsible for the establishment of Chicago as a major port city in the United States of America. As early as the beginning of the 19th Century, settlements were rising along the river as European settlers began the quest to expand westwards.[3] They, however, faced resistance from the natives who viewed the settlements as an invasion on their land. Although the quest was largely unsuccessful across the River in the early years, the River played a major role in the American progress westwards. This was a westward movement towards enlightenment by the colonists that is largely responsible for modern America. The Blackhawk War and the Chicago treaty of 1833 is the most notable event leading up to the fast growth of Chicago. The treaty was the aftermath of the Native Americans defeat in the war and led to the relinquishment of large territories in Illinois. The Native Americans consequently moved to reservations further westward. More settlers moved to territories along the river transforming a previously small port center into a city.

Development of Chicago into a major port city was preceded by the establishment of the shipbuilding industry. The industry developed in the 1850s going forward due to the cities great geographical location of the city and the availability of river. [4]At one point, almost all the ships built in America passed through the Chicago River. The growth of the industry meant that thousands wanted employment within the city, resulting in the growth of human settlements and flourishing of other businesses. The heavy traffic and growth in the size of the ships used needed wider canals to be built and so then came the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canals. The new canals meant that the industry would grow further and the city as well. The presence of more people in the city meant that other economic and recreational activities were in demand. The 20th century was especially busy and was marked by exponential growth in Chicago’s various neighborhoods. Access to beaches on the shores of Lake Michigan was mainly through the Chicago River. Because of these developments, the city of Chicago owes its growth to the flourishing of activities along the river and its surrounding areas.

 

Human settlement introduced new things to the flow and conservation of the Chicago River. Unlike in the period where the Native Americans relied on the river mainly for portage and food, the 19th and 20th Century brought with them events such as the re-engineering of the river and increased pollution. The most severe negative human influence on the river was during the period of manifest destiny when the westward expansion was at its peak. This was a period of rapid industrial growth in America drove by the belief that America was destined to bring enlightenment to the whole North American region. The Chicago River was a critical point to the fulfillment of the idea since it served as a main transport route for goods and people. Several engineering things along the course of the river show the level of human influence on the River and the outcomes. The first major engineering things on the river were carried out in 1848 through the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canals. The canal was built to allow large vessels to use the river as a crossing to Lake Michigan. Later, several moveable bridges were constructed along the river to facilitate movement. The movable bridges could be adjusted to allow larger vessels before being returned to their original positions for people and vehicles to pass. Chicago’s rapid population growth meant that there was increased pollution of the river due to domestic and industrial waste. The river water became smelly and unpleasant. The city’s management in 1889 decided to change the flow of the river and the project was ultimately successful by the 20th Century.[5] Reversing the flow meant that polluted water did not flow into Lake Michigan, the city’s source of drinking water. Other engineering and cleaning projects followed in an attempt to ease transport and make the river water cleaner.

 

Pollution was a major concern for the city’s management with constant outbreaks of typhoid and cholera linked to the dirty water in the river. Although scientific knowledge had not developed to the level of pinpointing the exact cause of the outbreaks, all stakeholders were in agreement that the flow of polluted water into the city’s source of drinking water was not the best idea. Consequently, a plan was put forward in 1889 to reverse the flow of the Chicago River so that the water flowed away from the lake.[6] Attempts to reverse the flow had been made in the 1870s using pumps, but the engineering was a failure so this project was critical in the re-engineering of the river. A completely different approach was used where a canal was built westward, growing deeper as it was constructed away from the lake.[7] Thus, the main stem and the southern channel of the river were reversed so that they flowed away from the lake. As a result, clean water now flowed from Lake Michigan into the river channel. Upon its completion in 1900, the project completely transformed the bioregional history of the Chicago River. The previously polluted river flowed in the opposite direction with cleaner water and in so, helping to conserve the river.

    Another inspiration for engineering was the need to ease transport across the river’s course. Previously, big ships could not use the narrow and shallow channel of the river. However, with the newly constructed deeper and wider channels, the ships could easily transport goods and people to various accessible destinations. Despite the achievements of the new tunnel, the pollution problem still persisted in the northern section of the river. The pollution in this section greatly weakened the improvements achieved in the first project. Engineers started on the construction of the Northern Shore Channel which would also reverse the direction of flow and give the river clean water from the lake. The North Shore Channel was completed in 1910 and the Cal-Sag Channel later in 1922. Reversal of the river flow redefined the way the Chicago River was used for transport and eased the problem of disease outbreaks in the city.

 

The landscape of the Chicago River remained mainly unaltered before the age of enlightenment. The age of enlightenment was a period of westward expansion as America’s founding fathers moved westwards to exploit the resources that remained. In The Ecological Indian, is it said that the age of enlightenment brought with it environmental changes that not only threatened the survival of the natural environment in the river, but destroyed a significant percentage of this environment. Previously, an unaffected landscape of wetlands, marshes, dunes, beaches, and forests existed along the course of the river. The Indians existed in this environment for thousands of years until their natural lifestyle was interrupted by the arrival of the white settlers.[8] A review of the ideas of nature with regard to the Chicago River takes into account the social, economic and environmental values related to the transformation of the river through history. Settlement of the native tribes along the banks of the river did not affect its ecosystem. As earlier stated, environmental and economic factors are responsible for the change in the ecology of the river.

The earlier years of the 19th century were described by environmental wrongness and blatant disregard for environmental safety in people’s interaction with the Chicago River. Bloody clashes between the settlers and the Natives aimed to push the Native Indians away from the river to allow for its economic use. After the Indians defeat, settlements were built along the river by the settlers and pollution began. However, most of those involved were unaware of the consequences of their actions until later in the 1870s when the effects became apparent. Broderick cites the construction of bridges and canals along the river as the development of second nature for economic gains which negatively affected the natural state of the river.[9] Reengineering of the river resulted in changes of its ecosystems where the first nature was almost completely destroyed. The 20th century brought with it greater awareness as people became aware of the need to conserve the River, efforts were made to achieve a clean flowing river that would support aquatic life and improve human interaction with the river. Environmental justice was better served during this period through the involvement of communities and the creation of ecological policies. The benefits were soon felt as the Chicago River water become more accommodating for aquatic life.

Reengineering of the Chicago River remains a huge accomplishment in the history. The inspirational nature of the project and its success has benefitted generations since its completion. The location and nature of Chicago River were responsible for the growth of Chicago from a small settlement to a vital, amazing city that set the pace for river re-engineering. Shipbuilding, transport and other related industries thrived further due to the reversal of the river. Human influence on the river has reached both positive and negative extremes, although, increased knowledge of environmental justice is changing the way people interact with the River. 

Bibliography

Broderick, Andrew. “A strategy for the Chicago Riverwalk.” Chicago River Edge Ideas Lab. 2017. Accessed October 23, 2018. https://www.chiriverlab.com/visions/third-nature.

Friends of the Chicago River. “Brief History of teh Chicago River.” Friends of the Chicago River. n.d. Accessed October 23, 2018. http://s3.amazonaws.com/chicagoriver/rich/rich_files/rich_files/147/original/chicago-20river-20history.pdf

Kling, Samuel. “Wide Boulevards, Narrow Visions: Burnham’s Street System and the Chicago Plan Commission, 1909–1930.” Journal of Planning History 12, no. 3 (2013): 245-268.

Krech, Shepard. The ecological Indian: myth and history. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 1999. 

Labedz, Grant and Jimmy Lee. “How Did Engineers Reverse the Chicago River.” [February 4, 2015]. YouTube video, 10:15. Posted [February 4, 2015]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ9tYix2wlM.

[1] Friends of the Chicago River, “Brief History of teh Chicago River,” Friends of the Chicago River, n.d, Accessed October 23, 2018, http://s3.amazonaws.com/chicagoriver/rich/rich_files/rich_files/147/original/chicago-20river-20history.pdf

[2] Ibid., 2

[3] Ibid., 3

[4] Friends of the Chicago River.Brief History of the Chicago River, 2.

[5] Samuel Kling, “Wide boulevards, narrow visions: Burnham’s street system and the Chicago plan commission, 1909–1930,” Journal of planning history 12, no. 3 (2013): 245

[6] Grant Labedz, and Jimmy Lee, “How Did Engineers Reverse the Chicago River,” [February 4, 2015], YouTube video, 10:15. Posted [February 4, 2015], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ9tYix2wlM

[7] Ibid., 2

[8]Shepard Krech, The ecological Indian: myth and history, [New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1999], 26.

[9]Andrew Broderick, “A strategy for the Chicago Riverwalk,” Chicago River Edge Ideas Lab, 2017, Accessed October 23, 2018, https://www.chiriverlab.com/visions/third-nature.