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Illinois
Chicago area from 1,300 in 1830 to nearly 69,000 by 1848 when
the Illinois & Michigan Canal opened.
The canal was soon challenged in passenger transportation by the
1852 completion of the Rock Island Railroad along its corridor, yet
it would continue to be an important artery for freight hauling. Over
time it gradually became obsolete, ceasing operations in 1933. In
1985, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the creation of the
Illinois & Michigan National Heritage Corridor. Today, the I&M Canal
is a national landmark and a state trail, winding through farmland,
countryside and towns from Chicago to LaSalle. It was the first
link in the chain of transportation that would lead to the creation of
Route 66—the Canal was the first highway leading from Chicago
to the American West. The Canal made it possible for us to get our
kicks on 66!
Chicago
There are still many reminders within Chicago of the canal’s
importance in creating a gateway to the west. On the Adams Street
Bridge, where Route 66 crosses the Chicago River, we can see all
of the major transportation modes of the last two centuries. Below is
the river that connected Lake Michigan to the canal in 1848. On the
west riverbank below street level are the trains leading into Union
Station. Today, Amtrak still runs trains from this station along the
rails once owned by the Chicago & Alton, the railroad that blazed
the Mother Road’s trail from Chicago to St. Louis.
The Adams Bridge and its near-twin to the south at Jackson
Boulevard have carried Route 66 travelers on their way to California
during all of the highway’s existence. Descending the stairs at the
southeast corner of the Adams Bridge brings us to the dock for the
Shoreline Water Taxi (www.shorelinewatertaxi.com), where we can
take a ride along the main branch of the Chicago River to Michigan
Avenue or Navy Pier. Surrounded by today’s skyscrapers, it is hard
to imagine that this river was a meandering stream that sluggishly
flowed through tall grass prairie when first seen by Marquette and
Joliet in 1673.
Most of the canal that once ran southwest through Chicago from
its beginning in the Bridgeport neighborhood to the city limits is now
buried under Interstate 55. The exception is at the very beginning,
where Canal Origins Park (2701 S. Ashland Avenue, www.
chicagoparkdistrict.com) now commemorates the importance of
the canal to Chicago’s growth. Native Illinois plants fill the park, and
walking paths wind through displays of bas-relief artwork depicting
historic scenes of the canal created by Chicago school kids. The
park is a hint of quiet nature in the middle of urban Chicago.
Joliet
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JOLIET AREA
Produced & Printed In The USA • Keeping You On The Mother Road • 2012-2013
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