The Chicago Maritime Museum is a maritime society and museum dedicated to the study and memorialization of Chicago's maritime traditions. The museum's webpage asserts that

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

and the

Chicago River The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for ...

were key factors in Chicago's growth toward status as a world-class city, and pays tribute to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

for granting lake frontage in 1818 to the infant state of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. The museum opened in June 2016.

History

Chicago's maritime history hit its first peak during the "Golden Age" of the American steamboat. Prior to and during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

era, small but fast (in comparison with previous technology)

palace steamer Palace steamers were luxurious steamships that carried passengers and cargo around the North American Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the ...

s carried passengers and freight over the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

to Chicago. Canal boats, meanwhile, paraded up and down the newly dug

Illinois and Michigan Canal The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago Po ...

from Chicago to the

Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...

and even the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. Maritime freight traffic enabled Chicago to make a fast recovery from the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

of 1871. According to the Chicago Maritime Museum, Chicago's ship-docking operations in 1872 exceeded that of any other port in the United States. With the growth of

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

-powered truck traffic, Chicago's maritime heritage was at risk in the 20th century. Urban redevelopment efforts, inspired by architect Daniel Burnham and his 1909

Plan of Chicago The Burnham Plan is a popular name for the 1909 ''Plan of Chicago'', co-authored by Daniel Burnham and Edward H. Bennett and published in 1909. It recommended an integrated series of projects including new and widened streets, parks, new railr ...

, bulldozed down many dockside warehouses and working loft buildings. Much of the downtown dock space was redeveloped as

Wacker Drive Wacker Drive is a major multilevel street in Chicago, Illinois, running along the south side of the main branch and the east side of the south branch of the Chicago River in the Loop.Hayner, Don and Tom McNamee, ''Streetwise Chicago'', "Wacker D ...

. Advocates call for a second peak of Chicago maritime history in the 21st century, this time oriented toward upper-class housing and waterway-oriented lifestyle experiences.

Description

The Chicago Maritime Society began its collecting activity in 1982. In 1980s, the Society briefly opened a temporary museum at the North Pier Terminal in Chicago. During its early years, the Maritime Society worked closely with the Lake Michigan diving community (See "Affiliated groups"). The society continued developing its collection, eventually taking in more than 6,000 items of tangible maritime heritage. In the early 2000s, the Society opened a museum on Chicago's South Side. The Maritime Museum operates adjacent to the South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River. The South Fork is commonly called

Bubbly Creek Bubbly Creek is the nickname given to the South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River. It runs entirely within the city of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. It marks the boundary between the Bridgeport and McKinley Park community areas of the ci ...

. The museum's riverside location has inspired it to take a broad view of Chicago's maritime heritage. Its website states that the facility celebrates not only Chicago's primary lake and river, but also traditionally industrial

Lake Calumet Lake Calumet is the largest body of water within the city of Chicago. Formerly a shallow, postglacial lake draining into Lake Michigan, it has been changed beyond recognition by industrial redevelopment and decay. Parts of the lake have been dr ...

and the city's "beaches, deep tunnels, and pumping stations." The museum's

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...

location pays tribute to a neighborhood that began with Chicago's

Irish American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

canal-digging navvies, a key support group within the city's maritime history. The Chicago Maritime Museum is located at 1200 West 35th Street. An admission fee is charged.

Affiliated groups

The Underwater Archeological Society of Chicago (UASC), a separate organization, is descended from divers who helped found the Chicago Maritime Society and worked within the original Society to get support for projects such as the documentation of schooner ''David Dows''. The UASC maintains an affiliation with the Chicago Maritime Society.

References

{{authority control Maritime museums in Illinois Museums established in 2016 Museums in Chicago Museums of the Great Lakes

History

Description

Affiliated groups

See also

References