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I&M Canal Pioneers
The Canal Corridor Association would
like to celebrate the men and women who built the I&M Canal, created the
towns and settled the land we now know as the Illinois and Michigan
Canal National Heritage Corridor. From Chicago to LaSalle/Peru,
throughout the 450-square-mile Corridor, there are I&M Canal Pioneer
families whose ancestors were instrumental in the growth of this area.
If you had relatives living in the Corridor a hundred years ago or
more, join with other early families and share your history with us. We
will recognize your family as I&M Canal Pioneers.
Upon completion of your family history,
an official Canal Pioneer Certificate will be issued. Other forms of
recognition and
celebration
may include Pioneer events, family profiles
in Corridor newspapers, invitations to special lectures and workshops,
and other events.
 Become a Pioneer
Family
Please share your family history with us
and become an I&M Canal Pioneer family! It's easy and fun. All we need
is a short narrative history of your family. If you have documents such
as birth or death certificates, land grants, a family tree, or other
records, copies would be most appreciated and help us to document your
family. Family photographs are also much appreciated and copies are
welcomed. Seeing who the pioneers were really brings history to life! If you have never done genealogy before,
please see the Research Help section to help you get started. To read
about other families, download our First Settlers pamphlet.
To register your family, print out and
fill in the application form and submit it, along with a narrative text
describing your family's history. If available, please include
documentation such as a family tree, birth, death and marriage
certificates, land grant papers, canal records, or family photographs,
to help us form a more complete picture of your family and their role in
the development of the I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor.
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