Sanitary and Ship Canal, workers cracking stone (1896) – CARLI Digital Collections Featured Image

Canal laborers break stones to make way for the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which connects the Chicago River and the Des Plaines River. When it opened in 1900, the canal provided a waterway from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. The Sanitary and Ship replaced Illinois & Michigan (I & M) Canal which was built in 1848, but was not wide enough for large ships to navigate. The Canal became a subject of controversy in 2009, as the growing population of invasive Asian Carp threatened to get through the Canal into Lake Michigan. While the US Army Corps of Engineers put measures in place to keep Asian Carp out, the state of Michigan brought suit again Illinois and the US Army Corps of Engineers in the Supreme Court to close the canal. The Court eventually rejected the request, and the Sanitary and Ship Canal remains open. Quite the exciting tale of fish and infrastructure!

The I & M Canal Photographs collection from Lewis University gives us a glimpse into the making to these waterways that opened up new distribution paths for growing industry at the turn of the century. Check out the collection to find out more.

--Written by Sarah Prindle, Humanities & Fine Arts Librarian at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

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