Illinois Waterway

The Illinois Waterway (german Illinois Waterway ) is a system of rivers and canals between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. It is 541 km long. Together with the Mississippi River connects the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.

The oldest connection represented the approximately 155 km long Illinois and Michigankanal whose structure already in 1836 began, but due to financial problems on the part of the State of Illinois in 1848 was completed. The workers were mostly of Irish origin, and some had already gained experience in the construction of the Erie Canal. Through the completion of the canal Chicago gained a central role in transportation of the United States because it now had a direct connection to the Gulf of Mexico. Until 1854, the channel was also used by many passenger ships, which then, however, changed with the completion of a parallel to the channel extending railway line. Freight transport in 1882 reached its climax.

From the year 1900, this compound was, however, redeemed by the larger Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal rapidly. This connects since 1933 - the year of retirement of the Illinois and Michigankanals - the only Lake Michigan through the Chicago River to the Illinois River flow, which in turn flows into the Mississippi. 1910 was still the North Shore Channel (North Shore Canal ) is added, which is just a few miles north of Chicago - in the suburb of Wilmette - on Lake Michigan connects to just a few kilometers from the former mouth of the Chicago River into Lake Michigan, still within the urban area to lead Chicago on the Chicago River. 1922, the waterway system was eventually expanded to include the Calumet -Sag Canal, which connects the southwest of Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal with the River Little Calumet.

41.652055555556 - 87.567Koordinaten: 41 ° 39 '7 "N, 87 ° 34 ' 1" W

• Geography (Illinois )
• Channel in the United States
• Built in the 1840s
• River system St. Clair River
• River Mississippi River system