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At a stroke,
the opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1848 gave
Illinois the key to mastery of the American mid-continent. The
dream of the canal had animated every vision and under laid
every plan for Illinois for 200 years before. As that vision was
realized, the canal’s commissioners laid out a canal port that
would grow into a great metropolis; their fellow citizens
patented agriculture and industrial innovations that would |
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make this the richest
economic zone the world had ever seen. That Illinois is now the
most populous inland American state, and Chicago the greatest
city of the American heartland, are directly traceable to the
96-mile ditch that linked the Great Lakes to the Illinois and
Mississippi rivers. The Illinois and Michigan Canal is one of
the best-kept secrets of American history. Though few know today
how important it was, everyone here knew it a century and a half
ago. We cannot know Illinois’ history without understanding how
the Canal, as a symbol of the continent-straddling ambitions of
America, made it possible for a great civilization to arise
here.
After years of economic decline, the newly revitalized Canal
Corridor is now becoming a splendid living history museum of
American enterprise, technological invention, ethnic diversity,
and cultural creativity - a terrific visitor destination for
recreation and heritage tourism. The Canal Corridor Association
aims to helps Illinoisans and their guests understand that they
too are parts of an exciting historical tradition. |
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