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92-684: Nicholas J Melas Centennial Fountain is located on the north bank of the Chicago River at McClurg Court in Near North Side, Chicago . It was dedicated in 1989, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago , perhaps best known for its major achievement in reversing the flow of the Chicago River in 1900; and in 1999, this system was named

184-639: A "Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium" by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). As the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago was soon to celebrate its 100-year anniversary, its architects came up with building a fountain along the Chicago River. They designed a fountain that includes a sculptural sun dial along the side of the river. The fountain opened in 1989. The fountain

276-611: A Y-shaped, city identification symbol that can be seen on many buildings in Chicago, and on city owned vehicles. The first non-indigenous settler at Wolf Point may have been a trader named Guarie. Writing in 1880 Gurdon Hubbard , who first arrived in Chicago on October 1, 1818, stated that he had been told of Guarie by Antoine De Champs and Antoine Beson, who had been traversing the Chicago Portage annually since about 1778. Hubbard wrote that De Champs had shown him evidence of

368-637: A converted dining room. The site of the Sauganash Hotel was redeveloped as the Wigwam in 1860; the site today is at 191 North Wacker and is designated as a Chicago Landmark . James Kinzie built the Green Tree Tavern at the northeastern corner of Canal and Lake Streets in 1833. The tavern went through a succession of owners and name changes before being moved in 1880 to 33, 35, and 37 Milwaukee Avenue. In 1902 plans were made to preserve

460-406: A log cabin on the south bank in 1829. In 1831 Beaubien added a frame addition and opened the Sauganash Hotel, Chicago's first hotel. Immediately adjacent to the hotel's public bar was Chicago's first drug store . Beaubien left the Sauganash Hotel in 1834, but the hotel continued in operation until it was destroyed by a fire in 1851. In 1837, the hotel hosted the first Chicago theatre company in

552-531: A natural resource." The southwest bridgehouse of the DuSable Bridge (Michigan Avenue) serves as a museum on the river, its history, its challenges, and its renaissance. The McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum is a 5-floor, 1,613-square-foot (149.9 m ) museum that opened on June 10, 2006; it is named for Robert R. McCormick , formerly owner of the Chicago Tribune and president of

644-761: A number of sites in the Chicago River system. Discharge from the North Branch is measured at Grand Avenue; between 2004 and 2010 this averaged 582 cubic feet (16.5 m ) per second. During the winter months as much as 75% of the flow in the North Branch is due to the discharge of treated sewage from the North Side Water Reclamation Plant into the North Shore Channel. Flow on the main stem is measured at Columbus Drive; between 2000 and 2006 this averaged 136 cubic feet (3.9 m ) per second. The name Chicago derives from

736-479: A painted sign of a wolf was hung outside the tavern by approximately 1833. In about 1829, Samuel Miller and his brother John opened a store on the north bank of the river at the forks. In 1830, they enlarged their store and began to operate it as a tavern in competition with the Wolf Point Tavern. On June 2, 1829 Samuel Miller and Archibald Clybourn had been authorized to operate the first ferry across

828-550: A plot of land on the north side of the fork in the Near North Side community area partially owned by the Kennedy family , now occupied by Wolf Point South Tower . Today the north bank at the fork, is the location of several commercial skyscrapers and high-rises, the west bank includes condominium high rises, commercial skyscrapers, including River Point and 150 North Riverside on air rights over railroad tracks, while

920-462: A trading house and the remains of a cornfield supposed to have belonged to Guarie. The cornfield was located on the west bank of the North Branch of the Chicago River, a short distance from the forks at what is now Fulton Street; early settlers named the North Branch of the Chicago River the Guarie River, or Gary's River. James Kinzie, the son of early settler John Kinzie , built a tavern on

1012-449: A trading post near Wolf Point on the Chicago River in around 1778. In 1823 a government expedition used the name Gary River (phonetic spelling of Guillory ) to refer to the north branch of the Chicago River. Jean Baptiste Point du Sable is widely regarded as the first permanent resident of Chicago; he built a farm on the northern bank at the mouth of the river in the 1780s. The earliest known record of Pointe du Sable living in Chicago

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1104-597: Is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of 156 miles (251 km) that runs through the city of Chicago , including its center (the Chicago Loop ). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for Chicago's geographic importance: the related Chicago Portage is a link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Basin , and ultimately

1196-489: Is being redeveloped as part of Mayor Rahm Emanuel 's plans to extend the Chicago Riverwalk , which is located on the south bank of the Chicago River and will extend from Lake Michigan to the intersection of North Wacker Drive and Lake Street. Design plans are being finalized as of Spring 2015 with completion targeted by the end of 2016 pending funding. Currently, the plan will include a three-story retail space,

1288-674: Is crossed by the Dan Ryan Expressway ; these immovable bridges have a clearance of 60 feet (18 m) requiring large ships that pass underneath to have folding masts. At Ashland Avenue the river widens to form the U.S. Turning Basin, the west bank of which was the starting point of the Illinois and Michigan Canal . Prior to 1983, this was where the US Coast Guard Rules of the Road, Great Lakes ended & Rules of

1380-739: Is sent down the Chicago River, while the rest is used for drinking water. In late 2005, the Chicago-based Alliance for the Great Lakes proposed re-separating the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins to address such ecological concerns as the spread of invasive species . In 1915, the SS Eastland , an excursion steam-liner preparing to leave the dock on the south gangway between the Clark Street Bridge and La Salle Street Bridge, rolled over, killing 844 of

1472-642: Is the diary of Hugh Heward, who made a journey through Illinois in the spring of 1790. Antoine Ouilmette claimed to have arrived in Chicago shortly after this in July 1790. In 1795, in a then minor part of the Treaty of Greenville , an Indian confederation granted treaty rights to the United States, to a parcel of land at the mouth of the "Chicago River". This was followed by the 1816 Treaty of St. Louis and Treaty of Chicago , which ceded additional land in

1564-628: Is the location at the confluence of the North, South and Main Branches of the Chicago River in the present day Near North Side , Loop , and Near West Side community areas of Chicago. This fork in the river is historically important in the development of early Chicago. Located about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) from Lake Michigan , this was the location of Chicago's first three taverns , its first hotel, Sauganash Hotel , its first ferry, its first drug store, its first church, its first theater company, and

1656-522: The Burnham Plan as early as 1909. Before reversal, the South Branch generally arose with joining forks in the marshy area called Mud Lake to flow to where it met the North Branch at Wolf Point forming the main branch. Since reversal, the source of the South Branch of the Chicago River is the confluence of the North Branch and main stem at Wolf Point. From here the river flows south passing

1748-573: The Chicago Cubs rally and parade for their 2016 World Series Championship celebrations, the river was dyed Cubs blue. Friends of the Chicago River executive director Margaret Frisbie told the Chicago Sun-Times , "We do not want to set a precedent where, every time we want to celebrate, we dye the river a different color and potentially hurt the aquatic life that lives in it. While it may seem festive, it's actually potentially harming

1840-681: The Forest Glen community area with Norwood Park and Jefferson Park . This stretch of the river meanders in a south-easterly direction, passing through golf courses and forest preserves until it reaches Foster Avenue , where it passes through residential neighborhoods on the north side of the Albany Park community area. In River Park the river meets the North Shore Channel , a canal with water pumped from Lake Michigan (at Wilmette ), built between 1907 and 1910 to increase

1932-599: The Gulf of Mexico . The river is also noteworthy for its natural and human-engineered history. In 1887, the Illinois General Assembly decided to reverse the flow of the Chicago River through civil engineering by taking water from Lake Michigan and discharging it into the Mississippi River watershed, partly in response to concerns created by an extreme weather event in 1885 that threatened

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2024-542: The Illinois River and the Mississippi Valley across the Chicago Portage . This canal was the farthest west, and the last, of a series of United States' government land grant canals. It provided the only water route from New York City to New Orleans through the country's interior and Chicago. During the last ice age, the area that became Chicago was covered by Lake Chicago , which drained south into

2116-600: The North Avenue Bridge , the North Branch divides, the original course of the river makes a curve along the west side of Goose Island , whilst the North Branch Canal cuts off the bend, forming the island. The North Branch Canal—or Ogden's Canal—was completed in 1857, and was originally 50 feet (15 m) wide and 10 feet (3.0 m) deep allowing craft navigating the river to avoid the bend. The 1902 Cherry Avenue Bridge , just south of North Avenue,

2208-530: The Sanitary District of Chicago , then headed by William Boldenweck, completely reversed the flow of the main stem and South Branch of the river using a series of canal locks , increasing the river's flow from Lake Michigan and causing it to empty into the newly completed Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal . In 1999, this system was named a "Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium" by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Before this time,

2300-567: The St. Charles Air Line Bridge . Between Polk and 18th Streets the river originally made a meander to the east; between 1927 and 1929 the river was straightened and moved 1 ⁄ 4 mile (0.40 km) west at this point to make room for a railroad terminal. The river turns to the southwest at Ping Tom Memorial Park where it passes under the Chicago Landmark Canal Street railroad bridge . The river turns westward where it

2392-460: The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign created a three-dimensional, hydrodynamic simulation of the Chicago River, which suggested that density currents are the cause of an observed bi-directional wintertime flow in the river. At the surface, the river flows east to west, away from Lake Michigan, as expected. But deep below, near the riverbed, water seasonally travels west to east, toward

2484-658: The forest preserve district of Cook County, Illinois has designated a section of the East Fork and North Branch from Willow Road in Northfield to Dempster Street in Morton Grove the Ralph Frese River Trail . The North Branch continues southwards through Niles , entering the city of Chicago near the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Devon Avenue , from where it serves as the boundary of

2576-513: The 100th anniversary of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago ; between May and October the fountain sends an arc of water over the river for ten minutes every hour. On the north bank of the river, near the Chicago Landmark Michigan Avenue Bridge, is Pioneer Court , which marks the site of the homestead of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable who is recognized as the founder of Chicago. On

2668-519: The 17th century French rendering of shikaakwa or chicagou , the Native American name for ramps ( Allium tricoccum ), a type of edible wild leek , which grew abundantly near the river. The river, and its region, were named after the plant. Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette , though probably not the first Europeans to visit the area, are the first recorded to have visited the Chicago River in 1673, when they wrote of their discovery of

2760-443: The Chicago River has 38 movable bridges spanning it, down from a peak of 52 bridges. These bridges are of several different types, including trunnion bascule , Scherzer rolling lift , swing bridges , and vertical-lift bridges . The Chicago River has been highly affected by industrial and residential development with attendant changes to the quality of the water and riverbanks. Several species of freshwater fish are known to inhabit

2852-479: The Chicago River is dyed green in observance of St. Patrick's Day . The actual event occurs on the Saturday on or before March 17. The tradition of dyeing the river green arose by accident in 1961 when plumbers used fluorescein dye to trace sources of illegal pollution discharges. The dyeing of the river is still sponsored by the local plumbers union. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disallowed

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2944-587: The Chicago River remains a very popular target for freshwater recreational fishing. In 2006, the Chicago Park District started the annual "Mayor Daley's Chicago River Fishing Festival", which has increased in popularity with each year. Between 2013 and 2016, the Chicago Park District opened four boat houses, two on the south branch and two on the north, for river recreation. As part of a more than fifty-year-old Chicago tradition,

3036-456: The Chicago River was known by many local residents of Chicago as "the stinking river" because of the massive amounts of sewage and pollution that poured into the river from Chicago's booming industrial economy. Through the 1980s, the river was quite dirty and often filled with garbage ; however, during the 1990s, it underwent extensive cleaning as part of an effort at beautification by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley . In 2005, researchers at

3128-475: The Chicago River. Clybourn was the ferry man, crossing the North Branch of the river between Miller's tavern and the Wolf Point Tavern. In 1831 John Miller built a log house near his brother's tavern that he used as a tannery; Chicago's first recorded factory. Samuel Miller sold the tavern and moved away following the death of his wife in 1832. Mark Beaubien opened the Eagle Exchange Tavern in

3220-631: The Chicago Sanitary District. The Robert R. McCormick Foundation was the major donor that helped meet the $ 950,000 cost to open the museum. It is run by the Friends of the Chicago River, a non-profit environmental organization. Visitors are also allowed to access the bridge's gear room; during the spring and fall bridge lifting visitors can see the bridge gears in operation as the leaves are raised and lowered. Due to its small size and tight access stairway only 79 people are allowed inside

3312-404: The Chicago area. In 1803, Fort Dearborn was constructed on the bank opposite what had been Point du Sable's settlement, on the site of the present-day Michigan Avenue Bridge . Lieutenant James Strode Swearingen, who led the troops from Detroit to Chicago to establish the fort, described the river as being about 30 yards (27 m) wide and upwards of 18 feet (5.5 m) deep at the place where

3404-612: The Kennedy family is bounded by the Chicago River to the east, west, south and 350 West Mart Center to the north. The Merchandise Mart is located diagonally to the northeast. There have been numerous plans to develop the property dating back to the late 1980s. In 2007, the Kennedys planned to develop the property with three high-rises and skyscrapers to designs by Argentine-American architect César Pelli . In 2012, updated plans were proposed with several target completion dates over

3496-782: The Lake Street, Randolph Street, Washington Street, Madison Street, Monroe Street, Adams Street, Jackson Boulevard, Van Buren Street, Ida B. Wells Drive, and Harrison Street bridges before leaving the downtown Loop community area. Notable buildings that line this stretch of the river include the Boeing Company World Headquarters, the Civic Opera House , the Chicago Mercantile Exchange , Union Station and Willis Tower . The river continues southwards past railroad yards and

3588-549: The Mississippi Valley. As the ice and water retreated, a short 12-to-14-foot (3.7 to 4.3 m) ridge was exposed about a mile inland, which generally separated the Great Lakes' watershed from the Mississippi Valley, except in times of heavy precipitation or when winter ice flows prevented drainage. By the time Europeans arrived, the Chicago River flowed sluggishly into Lake Michigan from Chicago's flat plain. As Chicago grew, this allowed sewage and other pollution into

3680-542: The Municipal Flag of Chicago by two horizontal blue stripes. Its three branches serve as the inspiration for the Municipal Device , a three-branched, Y-shaped symbol that is found on many buildings and other structures throughout Chicago. When it followed its natural course, the North and South Branches of the Chicago River converged at Wolf Point to form the main stem, which jogged southward from

3772-583: The North Branch is lined with a mixture of residential developments, retail parks, and industry until it reaches the industrial area known as the Clybourn Corridor. Here it passes beneath the Cortland Street Drawbridge , which was the first 'Chicago-style' fixed-trunnion bascule bridge built in the United States, and is designated as an ASCE Civil Engineering Landmark and a Chicago Landmark . At North Avenue , south of

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3864-433: The North Branch of the Chicago River the Guarie River, or Gary's River, after a trader who may have settled the west bank of the river a short distance north of Wolf Point, at what is now Fulton Street. The source of the North Branch is in the northern suburbs of Chicago where its three principal tributaries converge. The Skokie River —or East Fork—rises from a flat plain, historically a wetland, near Park City, Illinois to

3956-439: The North Branch of the river was replaced by a bridge in the winter of 1831 and 1832, and a bridge across the South Branch of the river located between Lake and Randolph Streets was added in the winter of 1832 and 1833. Early settlers J. D. Caton, John Bates, Charles Cleaver, and John Noble wrote in a letter in the fall of 1883 that both of these bridges were constructed of logs; they were about 10 feet (3.0 m) wide, and cleared

4048-575: The North and Middle forks merge at the Watersmeet Woods forest preserve west of Wilmette . From there the North Branch flows south towards Morton Grove . The third tributary, the West Fork, rises near Mettawa and flows south through Lincolnshire, Bannockburn , Deerfield , and Northbrook , meeting the North Branch at Morton Grove. In recognition of the work of Ralph Frese in promoting canoeing on and conservation of Chicago-area rivers,

4140-475: The Road, Western Rivers began. Since 1983, there is just a single Inland Navigational Rules passed by Congressional Act in 1980 (Public Law 96-591). At the basin the river is joined by a tributary, the South Fork of the river, which is commonly given the nickname Bubbly Creek . A bridge used to span the South Fork at this point that was too low for boats to pass meaning that their cargo needed to be unloaded at

4232-559: The St Paul Elevator, was added immediately to the south of the original in 1879. The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railway company purchased both elevators in 1889 for $ 400,000, but demolished them in 1906. Currently, the site is occupied by the Riverbend Condominiums at 333 North Canal Street. The property on the north bank of the river at Wolf Point was owned by businessman Marshall Field until it

4324-535: The US Army Corps in January 2013 revealed that both Lake Michigan and Lake Huron had reached their "lowest ebb since record keeping began in 1918, and the lakes could set additional records over the next few months, the corps said. The lakes were 74 centimetres (29 inches) below their long-term average and had declined 43 centimetres (17 inches) since January 2012". Wolf Point (Chicago) Wolf Point

4416-477: The bridge, and the neighborhood at its east end became known as Bridgeport . The river continues to the south west, entering the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Damen Avenue. The original West Fork of the South Branch, which before 1935 led towards Mud Lake and the Chicago Portage , has been filled in; a triangular intrusion into the north bank at Damen Avenue marks the place where it diverged from

4508-560: The building and move it to Garfield Park, however the hotel collapsed before work could start on this project. Rev. Jesse Walker started the first church on June 14, 1831, with ten members in a log cabin. In 1838, the congregation floated their log cabin across the Chicago River and rolled it on logs to the corner of Washington and Clark Streets, where it is now the First United Methodist Church Chicago Temple. Archibald Clybourn's ferry across

4600-402: The city's water supply. In 1889, the state created the Chicago Sanitary District (now the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District ) to replace the Illinois and Michigan Canal with the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal , a much larger waterway, because the former had become inadequate to serve the city's increasing sewage and commercial navigation needs. Completed by 1900, the project reversed

4692-412: The clean-water source for the city, contributing to several public health problems, like typhoid fever . Starting in 1848, much of the Chicago River's flow was also diverted across the Chicago Portage into the Illinois and Michigan Canal . In 1871, the old canal was deepened in an attempt to completely reverse the river's flow but the reversal of the river only lasted one season. Finally, in 1900,

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4784-584: The controlling works at Lake Michigan; passing beneath the Outer Drive , Columbus Drive , Michigan Avenue , Wabash Avenue , State Street , Dearborn Street , Clark Street , La Salle Street , Wells Street , and Franklin Street bridges en route to its confluence with the North Branch at Wolf Point. At McClurg Court it passes the Centennial Fountain , which was built in 1989 to celebrate

4876-475: The course of the canal. From there, the water flows down the canal through the southwest side of Chicago and southwestern suburbs and, in time, into the Des Plaines River between Crest Hill on the west and Lockport on the east, just north of the border between Crest Hill and Joliet, Illinois , eventually reaching the Gulf of Mexico . The United States Geological Survey monitors water flow at

4968-416: The damage of the storm event. The same report noted that the low Great Lakes levels were drought-induced, caused by a very hot, dry summer and a lack of a solid snowpack in the winter of 2012. At the time of the report, December 2012, Lake Michigan-Huron was 28 inches below its long-term average which is near the record lows of 1964. Historic lake levels for Lake Michigan reported from 1918 to 1998 show that

5060-424: The first bridges across the Chicago River. The name is said to possibly derive from a Native American Chief whose name translated to wolf, but alternate theories exist. Historically, the west bank of the river at the fork was called "Wolf Point," but in the 1820s and 1830s it came to denote the entire area and the settlement that grew up around the river-fork. Wolf Point is now often used more specifically to refer to

5152-424: The flow of the North Branch and help flush it into the South Branch and from there to the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal . From the confluence with the North Shore Channel south to Belmont Avenue the North Branch flows through mostly residential neighborhoods in a man-made channel that was dug to straighten and deepen the river, helping it to carry the additional flow from the North Shore Channel. South of Belmont

5244-413: The flow of the main stem and South Branch and altered the flow of the North Branch by using a series of canal locks and pumping stations, increasing the flow from Lake Michigan into the river, causing the river to empty into the new canal instead. In 1999, the system was named a "Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium" by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The river is represented on

5336-535: The fort was intended to be built; the riverbanks were 8 feet (2.4 m) high on the south side and 6 feet (1.8 m) on the north. Between 1816 and 1828 soldiers from Fort Dearborn cut channels through the sandbar at the mouth of the river to allow yawls to bring supplies to the fort. These channels rapidly clogged with sand requiring a new one to be cut. On March 2, 1833, $ 25,000 was appropriated by Congress for harbor works, and work began in June of that year under

5428-514: The geographically vital Chicago Portage . Marquette returned in 1674, camped a few days near the mouth of the river, then moved on to the Chicago River– Des Plaines River portage , where he stayed through the winter of 1674–75. The Fox Wars effectively closed the Chicago area to Europeans in the first part of the 18th century. The first non-native to re-settle in the area may have been a trader named Guillory, who might have had

5520-537: The hour, shoots a large eighty-foot water arc across the river from a modernist tiered waterfall. The waterfall and the water cannon both operate from 8:00am to 11:00pm every day in the warm months. This article related to a building or structure in Chicago is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Chicago River 41°53′11″N 87°38′15″W  /  41.88639°N 87.63750°W  / 41.88639; -87.63750 The Chicago River

5612-555: The lake and river for longer periods of time, limiting navigation. A reversal flow of the Chicago River into Lake Michigan would have a negative impact on navigation and on the quality of Lake Michigan water, which is the source of drinking water. Chicago's raw sewage in the river is normally carried upstream toward the Mississippi River which flows south towards the Gulf of Mexico. On January 9, 2013, Chicago meteorologists announced 320 days without at least one inch of snowfall. Water levels in

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5704-498: The lake started to level off with the river and sewage was visible at the cusp of the locks, just a few hundred feet from Lake Michigan. David St. Pierre, executive director of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago warned the low lake levels were nearing a point of real concern. However, the District maintains that it is not possible for the river to reverse due to low lake level alone. Measurements taken by

5796-499: The lake. All outflows from the Great Lakes Basin are regulated by the joint U.S.-Canadian Great Lakes Commission , and the outflow through the Chicago River is set under a U.S. Supreme Court decision (1967, modified 1980 and 1997). The city of Chicago is allowed to remove 3,200 cubic feet per second (91 m /s) of water from the Great Lakes system; about half of this, 1 billion US gallons per day (44 m /s),

5888-449: The low levels observed in 1964 were the lowest since 1918. In 2012 Lake Michigan-Huron's seasonal rise was about 4 inches where it usually is about 12 inches. Normally the Chicago River water level is two feet lower than the lake and therefore does not flow into the lake. If the lake level falls too low threatening to reverse the river flow, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago would be forced to close locks between

5980-406: The more than 2500 passengers. The roll of the heavy steamer happened very quickly and many of the passengers were trapped under water by the hull, moving objects such as pianos and tables, the crush of bodies, or their heavy clothes. Frantic if disordered rescue attempts ensued and early versions of what may be regarded as trauma teams formed to address the shocking scene. The site on the south bank at

6072-749: The museum at any one time. In October 2019, Chicago Tribune cultural arts writer Steve Johnson profiled the museum, calling its gear room where the DuSable Bridge mechanics can be viewed "a little chamber of heaven for infrastructure nerds". The US Army Corps of Engineers have monitored the development of harbors and channels for navigation on the Great Lakes since the early 1800s. They began monitoring hydrological conditions and lake levels in 1918. A December 26, 2012 report revealed that Chicago District navigation infrastructure did receive significant impacts from Hurricane Sandy with some areas experiencing severe shoaling. Chicago Shoreline Project mitigated

6164-596: The next decade. The property is a coveted real estate location that has had several serious redevelopment plans in the past. In 2014, construction began on the first phase of the planned Wolf Point Towers . A joint venture including the AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust and the Kennedy Family completed the 46-story Wolf Point West tower with union construction labor in 2016. A building permit for construction of Wolf Point East

6256-477: The practice "gives the impression that it is lifeless and artificial", adding "Friends doesn't think that the river should be treated as a decoration for an annual holiday, but treasured and cared for as the wonderful natural and recreational resource it deserves to be". In 2009 First Lady Michelle Obama , a Chicago native, inspired by the river tradition, requested that the water in the White House fountains be dyed green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. For

6348-412: The present course of the river to avoid a baymouth bar , entering Lake Michigan at about the level of present-day Madison Street . Today, the main stem of the Chicago River flows west from Lake Michigan to Wolf Point, where it converges with the North Branch to flow into the South Branch, where the river's course goes south and west to empty in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal . Early settlers named

6440-417: The residence of an Indian named " Moa-way ," or "the Wolf."' Other alternate explanations are that it was so-named after the landlord of what would later be called the Wolf Point Tavern killed a ferocious wolf and hung a painted sign of a wolf outside his tavern to commemorate the event, or that it was named by a soldier at Fort Dearborn because it was a place where wolves would gather at night. Originally

6532-416: The river by about 6 feet (1.8 m). When the Illinois and Michigan Canal opened in 1848, the landmass at Wolf Point was decreased by dredging to accommodate a turning basin for ships. In the autumn of the same year the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad opened Chicago's first railroad depot at Wolf Point, on the southwestern corner of Kinzie and Canal Streets. By 1857 the site of Wolf Point Tavern

6624-462: The river due to PCB and mercury contamination, including a "do not eat" advisory for carp more than 12 inches long. There are concerns that silver carp and bighead carp , now invasive species in the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers , may reach the Great Lakes through the Chicago River. A program on the north channel next to Goose Island seeks to increase wildlife habitat through

6716-665: The river or when the level of the lake is more than 2 feet below the Chicago City Datum. Acoustic velocity meters at the Columbus Drive Bridge and the T. J. O'Brien lock on the Calumet River monitor the diversion of water from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River basin, which is limited to an average of 3,200 cubic feet (91 m ) per second per year over the 40-year period from 1980 to 2020. The main stem flows 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west from

6808-512: The river passes Marina City , the Reid, Murdoch & Co. Building , and Merchandise Mart , and 333 Wacker Drive . Since the early 2000s, the south shore of the main stem has been developed as the Chicago Riverwalk . It provides a linear, lushly landscaped park intended to offer a peaceful escape from the busy Loop and a tourist attraction. Different sections are named Market, Civic, Arcade, and Confluence. The plans reflect ideas first proposed by

6900-579: The river through sluice gates at the Chicago River Controlling Works with a small additional flow provided for the passage of boats between the river and Lake Michigan through the Chicago Harbor Lock . The surface level of the river is maintained at 0.5 to 2 feet (0.15 to 0.61 m) below the Chicago City Datum (579.48 feet [176.63 m] above mean sea level) except for when there is excessive storm run-off into

6992-538: The river, including largemouth and smallmouth bass , rock bass , crappie , bluegill , catfish , and carp . The river also has a large population of crayfish . The South Fork of the Main (South) Branch, which was the primary sewer for the Union Stock Yards and the meat packing industry , was once so polluted that it became known as Bubbly Creek . Illinois has issued advisories regarding eating fish from

7084-405: The sandbar was 200 feet (61 m) wide and 3 to 7 feet (0.91 to 2.13 m) deep, flanked by piers 200 feet (61 m) long on the south wall and 700 feet (210 m) long to the north. Allen's work continued, and by October 1837 the still unfinished piers had been extended to 1,850 and 1,200 feet (560 and 370 m) respectively. In 1848, the Illinois and Michigan canal linked the river to

7176-409: The south bank includes part of the Chicago Riverwalk and serves as the transition point of Wacker Drive from an east–west street to a north–south street, above which the 333 Wacker Drive building curves in line with the riverbend. The origin of the name, Wolf Point, is unknown. In her 1856 memoir Wau-Bun , Juliette Kinzie states that 'the place was then called Wolf Point , from its having been

7268-673: The south bank of the river is the site of Fort Dearborn , an army fort, first established in 1803. Notable buildings surrounding this area include the NBC Tower , the Tribune Tower , and the Wrigley Building . The river turns slightly to the south west between Michigan Avenue and State Street, passing the Trump International Hotel and Tower , 35 East Wacker , and 330 North Wabash . Turning west again

7360-640: The southeast end of the La Salle Street Bridge is now the location of a memorial first dedicated in 1989. On April 13, 1992, a 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 the Kinzie Street railroad bridge . Most of the 60-mile (97 km) network of underground freight railway, which encompasses much of downtown,

7452-432: The supervision of Major George Bender, the commandant at Fort Dearborn. In January 1834 James Allen took over the supervision of this work and, aided by a February storm that breached the sandbar, on July 12, 1834, the harbor works had progressed enough to allow a 100-short-ton (91 t) schooner, the Illinois to sail up the river to Wolf Point and dock at the wharf of Newberry & Dole. The initial entrance through

7544-406: The term Wolf Point referred to the west bank of the Chicago River at the fork junction of its branches, but it gradually came to refer to the whole region around the forks and in modern usage is often more specifically used to mean the plot of land on the north side of the forks. The confluence of the three branches of the river near Wolf Point provided inspiration for Chicago's Municipal Device ,

7636-534: The use of floating plant islands. The program is managed by the non-profit conservation group Urban Rivers with assistance from the Shedd Aquarium . As with some other bodies of water in the United States, the river has seen several successful efforts to improve water quality since the passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972 and related state and local efforts. Despite the pollution concerns,

7728-411: The use of fluorescein for this purpose, since it was shown to be harmful to the river. The parade committee switched to a mix involving forty pounds of powdered vegetable dye. Though the committee closely guards the exact formula, they insist that it has been tested and verified safe for the environment. The environmental organization Friends of the Chicago River disapproves of dyeing the river, saying

7820-432: The west bank of the river at Wolf Point in 1828. By 1829 this tavern was operated for Kinzie by Archibald Caldwell who was granted a liquor license on December 8 of that year. Caldwell left Chicago early in 1830 and Elijah Wentworth became the landlord of the tavern. He was in turn succeeded by Charles Taylor (1831–1833) and William Walters (1833–1836). The tavern became known as the 'Wolf Point Tavern' or 'Wolf Tavern' and

7912-781: The west of the city of Waukegan . It then flows southward, paralleling the shore of Lake Michigan, through wetlands, the Greenbelt Forest Preserve and a number of golf courses towards Highland Park, Illinois . South of Highland Park the river passes the Chicago Botanic Gardens and through an area of former marshlands known as the Skokie Lagoons . From the west, the Middle Fork arises near Rondout, Illinois and flows southwards through Lake Forest and Highland Park. The two tributaries of

8004-564: Was being used as a lumber yard; the Fulton Elevator, one of Chicago's earliest grain elevators , was built just to the north of the former tavern in 1852. Several blocks to the west of Wolf Point were destroyed in a large fire on September 15, 1859. The Fulton Elevator survived this, and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, but was burned down on September 7, 1873. It was rebuilt in the same year, and another grain elevator,

8096-419: Was constructed to carry the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway onto Goose Island. It is a rare example of an asymmetric bob-tail swing bridge and was designated a Chicago Landmark in 2007. From Goose Island the North Branch continues to flow south east to Wolf Point where it joins the main stem. Since the late 19th century, the source of the main stem of the Chicago River is Lake Michigan. Water enters

8188-441: Was eventually flooded, along with the lower levels of buildings it once serviced and attached underground shops and pedestrian ways. The first bridge across the Chicago River was constructed over the North Branch near the present day Kinzie Street in 1832. A second bridge, over the South Branch near Randolph Street, was added in 1833. The first moveable bridge was constructed across the main stem at Dearborn Street in 1834. Today,

8280-427: Was issued on June 22, 2017 as a 60-story, 698-unit, 660-foot (201.17 m) building and by June 28, a joint venture of the AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust, the Kennedy Family, and Hines began construction on the $ 380 million project with a $ 200 million loan through a lending group that included Bank of America , Citizens Bank, ING Real Estate Finance, and Ullico . Occupancy is expected in 2019. The south bank

8372-570: Was named after Nicholas J. Melas who was elected in 1962 to the district's Board of Commissioners. Melas was re-elected five times, serving for thirty years -- the last eighteen as President of the Board. The fountain's controls were damaged by flooding in May 2020, and after extensive design and engineering, work to refurbish the fountain began in 2022. The fountain is set to reopen on August 16, 2024. The fountain designed by Lohan Associates, every hour, on

8464-401: Was sold to Democratic Party figure and Kennedy family patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy in 1945 or 1946, depending on the source. Although the Kennedy family sold much of the complex center property to Vornado Realty Trust in 1998 as part of a larger $ 625 million transaction, the family retained their interest in the 4 acres (16,000 m ) of Wolf Point land. The area still owned by

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