Chicago Portage
Encyclopedia
The Chicago Portage connects the watershed
s (BrE
: drainage basins) and the navigable waterway
s of the Mississippi River
and the Great Lakes
. It crosses the continental divide
that separates the Great Lakes and Gulf of St. Lawrence watersheds from the Gulf of Mexico
watershed.
Near Chicago
, the St. Lawrence Seaway divide runs less than a mile from the shores of Lake Michigan
, and is at places only 14 feet (4.3 m) higher than the water level in the lake. A breach of the ridge could potentially cause the Great Lakes to flow southwards to the Gulf of Mexico.
The portage
was revealed to Europeans in 1673 when the French Canadian
explorers, Louis Joliet (Jolliet) and Father Jacques Marquette, were canoe
ing upstream on the Mississippi River. They were guided to the portage by native Indians
and continued along the Illinois
and Des Plaines River
s. Near where the Des Plaines was separated from the Chicago River was a swampy area named Mud Lake, Seasonally, this was a shallow waterway or a muddy slough of eight miles. This connected the Des Plaines to the Chicago River
, which then flowed into Lake Michigan.
At the time, the Chicago Portage was the most strategic location in the interior of the North American continent and in particular between the French cities of Montreal
and New Orleans. Control of the Portage was critical if the French were to contain English expansion in the New World. According to Joliet, a canal of "half a league
' (about 2 miles (3.2 km), 3 km) across the Chicago Portage would allow easy navigation from Lake Erie
to the Gulf of Mexico.
In 1848, the Illinois and Michigan Canal
was opened, breaching the water divide
and enabling navigation between the two waterways. In 1900 it was replaced by the larger Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
. After the Chicago River
was diverted to the new canal, the Mississippi watershed is now separated from the Great Lakes by only a few downtown Chicago locks
. The quantity of water allowed to pass (and thus diverted from the St. Lawrence River) is regulated under international treaty between the U.S. and Canada
.
The Chicago Portage National Historic Site
marks the western end of the portage on the Des Plaines River.
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
s (BrE
BRE
- Computing :*Barren Realms Elite, a multi-player bulletin board system strategy game*Basic regular expression, expressions used for computerized text matching*Business rules engine, a software system to manage and execute business rules- Organisations :...
: drainage basins) and the navigable waterway
Waterway
A waterway is any navigable body of water. Waterways can include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:...
s of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. It crosses the continental divide
Continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...
that separates the Great Lakes and Gulf of St. Lawrence watersheds from the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
watershed.
Near Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, the St. Lawrence Seaway divide runs less than a mile from the shores of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
, and is at places only 14 feet (4.3 m) higher than the water level in the lake. A breach of the ridge could potentially cause the Great Lakes to flow southwards to the Gulf of Mexico.
The portage
Portage
Portage or portaging refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter.The English word portage is derived from the...
was revealed to Europeans in 1673 when the French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
explorers, Louis Joliet (Jolliet) and Father Jacques Marquette, were canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
ing upstream on the Mississippi River. They were guided to the portage by native Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and continued along the Illinois
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...
and Des Plaines River
Des Plaines River
The Des Plaines River is a river that flows southward for through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the U.S. Midwest, eventually meeting the Kankakee River west of Channahon to form the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River....
s. Near where the Des Plaines was separated from the Chicago River was a swampy area named Mud Lake, Seasonally, this was a shallow waterway or a muddy slough of eight miles. This connected the Des Plaines to the Chicago River
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of the same name, including its center . Though not especially long, the river is notable for being the reason why Chicago became an important location, as the link between the Great Lakes and...
, which then flowed into Lake Michigan.
At the time, the Chicago Portage was the most strategic location in the interior of the North American continent and in particular between the French cities of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and New Orleans. Control of the Portage was critical if the French were to contain English expansion in the New World. According to Joliet, a canal of "half a league
League (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
' (about 2 miles (3.2 km), 3 km) across the Chicago Portage would allow easy navigation from Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
to the Gulf of Mexico.
In 1848, the Illinois and Michigan Canal
Illinois and Michigan Canal
The Illinois and Michigan Canal ran from the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago on the Chicago River to LaSalle-Peru, Illinois, on the Illinois River. It was finished in 1848 when Chicago Mayor James Hutchinson Woodworth presided over its opening; and it allowed boat transportation from the Great...
was opened, breaching the water divide
Water divide
A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...
and enabling navigation between the two waterways. In 1900 it was replaced by the larger Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, historically known as the Chicago Drainage Canal, is the only shipping link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system, by way of the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers...
. After the Chicago River
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of the same name, including its center . Though not especially long, the river is notable for being the reason why Chicago became an important location, as the link between the Great Lakes and...
was diverted to the new canal, the Mississippi watershed is now separated from the Great Lakes by only a few downtown Chicago locks
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
. The quantity of water allowed to pass (and thus diverted from the St. Lawrence River) is regulated under international treaty between the U.S. and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The Chicago Portage National Historic Site
Chicago Portage National Historic Site
The Chicago Portage National Historic Site is a National Historic Site in Lyons, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located in Old Chicago Portage Forest Preserve, at the junction of Portage Creek with the Des Plaines River, just west of Harlem Avenue on the line of 48th Street...
marks the western end of the portage on the Des Plaines River.