History of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

Timeline created by benderbending

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Event Date:	Event Title:	Event Description:
07/08/1832	First bridge built across the Chicago River near Kinzie Street	The first bridge across the Chicago River was constructed over the north branch near the present day Kinzie Street in 1832. From Wikipedia
07/08/1850	Chicago begins flushing waste into Mississippi River system	Beginning in the 1850s on an informal basis, and in 1871 on a formal basis, Chicago flushed its wastewater into the Mississippi River drainage system by reversing the flow of the Chicago River. With continued growth, sewage treatment works became necessary to conserve the lake water quality. From the Encyclopedia of Chicago
08/02/1885	Rainstorm washes sewage in Chicago River far into lake	During a tremendous storm in 1885, the rainfall washed refuse from the river far out into the lake (although reports of a 1885 cholera epidemic are untrue), spurring a panic that a future similar storm would cause a huge epidemic in Chicago. From the Wikipedia
07/08/1887	Decision made to reverse the flow of the Chicago River	By 1887, it was decided to reverse the flow of the Chicago River through civil engineering. Engineer Isham Oliver noted that a ridge about 12 miles from the lake shore divided the Mississippi River drainage system from the Great Lakes drainage system. A plan soon emerged to cut through that ridge and carry waste water away from the lake, through the Des Plaines and Illinois rivers, to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. From the Wikipedia
05/29/1889	Sanitary District of Chicago created	The Sanitary District Enabling Act of May 29, 1889, established the District with the purpose of managing water supply and wastewater issues. Two important early projects included the reversal of the Chicago River, designed to carry waste water away from Lake Michigan, and the construction of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal which aided in the flowage of water out of Lake Michigan. From the Wikipedia
07/08/1900	Canal links the Chicago and Des Plaines rivers	The canal, linking the south branch of the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River at Lockport, was completed in 1900. The rate of flow is controlled by the Lockport Powerhouse, sluice gates at Chicago Harbor and at the O'Brien Lock in the Calumet River, and also by pumps at Wilmette Harbor. From the Wikipedia
07/08/1907	Canal extended to Joliet	An extension from 1903-1907 allowed for the canal to extend to Joliet. From the Wikipedia
07/08/1910	North Shore channel completed	The North Shore Channel is a drainage canal built between 1907 and 1910 to flush the sewage-filled North Branch of the Chicago River down the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The canal drains out of Lake Michigan in Wilmette, near the Bahai House of Worship, and connects to the North Branch at the junction of several North Side community areas. From the Wikipedia
07/24/1915	The SS Eastland rolls over, killing 841	841 of the 2752 passengers and four crew members died when the Eastland rolled onto its side in just 20 feet of water in the Chicago River between Clark and LaSalle streets. Many were young women and children. From the Wikipedia
07/08/1922	Calumet Sag Channel Completed	The Cal-Sag Channel (short for "Calumet Sag Channel") is a navigation canal in southern Cook County, Illinois. It serves as a channel between the Little Calumet River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. It is 16 miles (26 km) long and was dug over an 11-year period, from 1911 until 1922. From the Wikipedia
09/20/1928	South Branch of the Chicago River straightened	In 1928, the South Branch of the Chicago River between Polk and 18th Street was straightened and moved miles (400 m) west to make room for a railroad terminal. From the Wikipedia
04/13/1992	Chicago Flood fills downtown underground	On April 13, 1992 the Chicago Flood occurred when a pile driven into the riverbed caused stress fractures in the wall of a long-abandoned tunnel of the Chicago Tunnel Company near Kinzie Street. Most of the 60-mile (97 km) network of underground freight railway, which encompasses much of downtown, was eventually flooded along with the lower levels of buildings it once serviced and attached underground shops and pedestrian ways. From the Wikipedia