National Historic Landmark

Illinois and Michigan Canal

Joliet, Will County, Illinois
Listed
October 14, 1966
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
66000332

About this property

The 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. Its function was partially replaced by the wider and deeper Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1900, and it ceased transportation operations with the completion of the Illinois Waterway in 1933. Portions of the canal have been filled in. Much of the former canal, near the Heritage Corridor transit line, has been preserved as part of the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor. Illinois and Michigan Canal Locks and Towpath, a collection of eight engineering structures and segments of the canal between Lockport and LaSalle-Peru, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964.

Location

Joliet, Will County, Illinois
41.57491, -88.06801

Categories

ENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATION
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Nearby Historic Sites

Lockport Lock, Dam and Power House Historic District
Listed
0.6 mi
Heck, John, House
Industrial
0.9 mi
Lockport Historic District
Listed
1.2 mi
Will County Historical Society Headquarters
Industrial
1.2 mi
Milne, Robert, House
Industrial
1.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Illinois and Michigan Canal listed on the National Register?

Illinois and Michigan Canal was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 14, 1966.

What type of historic resource is Illinois and Michigan Canal?

Illinois and Michigan Canal is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Illinois and Michigan Canal a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Illinois and Michigan Canal has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Illinois and Michigan Canal?

The period of significance for Illinois and Michigan Canal is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Illinois and Michigan Canal?

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