In 1673, Louis Jolliet and Fr. Jacques Marquette were the first Europeans to explore the Mississippi and the Illinois River Valleys. Their explorations took them through what is now northern Illinois. These early explorers of the region recognized the importance of a connection between Lake Michigan and the Illinois waterways. Constructed between 1836 and 1848, the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal began the final link in a national plan to connect different regions of the North American continent via natural and man-made waterways. Once completed in 1848, the nearly 100-mile-long canal...
In 1673, Louis Jolliet and Fr. Jacques Marquette were the first Europeans to explore the Mississippi and the Illinois River Valleys. Their exploration...
David A Belden, Christine O'Brien, LLB, Kay Shelton
From southern Cook County to the Mississippi River, the Lincoln Highway meanders through many of Chicago's suburbs before heading west through Illinois's fertile farmland. America's first transcontinental highway once stretched nearly 3,400 miles from New York City to San Francisco. The story of the highway's role in shaping the contemporary American highway system is one that examines the interaction of technology and human spirit. Conceived by entrepreneur Carl G. Fischer in 1912 and endorsed by businessman Henry B. Joy, the idea of creating an automobile-friendly roadway spanning America...
From southern Cook County to the Mississippi River, the Lincoln Highway meanders through many of Chicago's suburbs before heading west through Illinoi...
