Illinois and Michigan CanalThe Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. In Illinois, it ran 96 miles (154 km) from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago, to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. Opened in 1848, the canal crossed the Chicago Portage and helped establish Chicago as the transportation hub of the United States, before the railroad era.
Chicago River41°53′11″N87°38′15″W / 41.88639°N 87.63750°W / 41.88639; -87.63750The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of 156 miles (251 km) that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). The river is one of the reasons for Chicago's geographic importance: the related Chicago Portage is a link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Basin, and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico.
Lockport, IllinoisLockport is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, located 30 miles southwest of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 26,094. The city was incorporated in 1853. It is situated along the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal, and was the headquarters of the canal when the canal was operating. A section of the canal runs through Lockport, including the remains of the canal's Lock No. 1 from which the town received its name.
Chinatown, ChicagoChinatown is a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, along S. Wentworth Avenue between Cermak Road and W. 26th St. Over a third of Chicago's Chinese population resides in this ethnic enclave, making it one of the largest concentrations of Chinese-Americans in the United States. It formed around 1912, after settlers moved south from near the Loop, where the first enclaves were established in the 19th century.William Beatty ArcherWilliam Beatty Archer (January 30, 1793 – August 9, 1870) was an Illinois politician and businessman. Archer was a member of the Illinois General Assembly from 1825 until 1843, during which time he also served on the state Board of Canal Commissioners and unsuccessfully ran for higher office twice.
Des Plaines RiverThe Des Plaines River ( dis PLAYNZ) (French: Rivière des Plaines) is a river that flows southward for 133 miles (214 km) through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the United States Midwest, eventually meeting the Kankakee River west of Channahon to form the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River. Native Americans used the river as transportation route and portage.
Chicago PortageThe Chicago Portage was an ancient portage that connected the Great Lakes waterway system with the Mississippi River system. This connection provided comparatively easy access from the mouth of the St. Lawrence River on the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains and the Gulf of Mexico. The approximately six-mile link had been used by Native Americans for thousands of years during the Pre-Columbian era for travel and trade.
ChicagoMost populous city in Illinois, USCity in Illinois, United StatesChicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the third-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 2.74 million at the 2020 census.
CN Joliet SubdivisionThis diagram: The Joliet Subdivision is a railroad subdivision of the Canadian National Railway in the Chicago metropolitan area. The 33-mile route runs from Joliet, Illinois to Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood, largely paralleling the route of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Union Pacific has trackage rights over the route, which meets the Union Pacific Joliet Subdivision at Joliet to reach Bloomington and St. Louis.
Alton RailroadThe Alton Railroad (reporting markA) was the final name of a railroad linking Chicago to Alton, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; and Kansas City, Missouri. Its predecessor, the Chicago and Alton Railroad (reporting markC&A), was purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1931 and was controlled until 1942 when the Alton was released to the courts. On May 31, 1947, the Alton Railroad was merged into the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad.
Fairmont, IllinoisFairmont is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,389 at the 2020 census. GeographyFairmont is located at 41°33′46″N88°3′44″W / 41.56278°N 88.06222°W / 41.56278; -88.06222 (41.562673, -88.062305). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km), all land.
Interstate 55 in IllinoisInterstate 55 (I-55) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the US state of Illinois that connects St. Louis, Missouri, to the Chicago metropolitan area. It enters the state from Missouri near East St. Louis, Illinois, and runs to U.S. Route 41 (US 41, Lake Shore Drive) near Downtown Chicago, where the highway ends, a distance of 294.38 miles (473.76 km). The road also runs through the Illinois cities of Springfield, Bloomington, and Joliet.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.