North Utica in LaSalle County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Canal Warehouse

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 31, 2021

1. Canal Warehouse Marker

Inscription. This stone building was a warehouse on the Illinois and Michigan Canal, which was completed in 1848. The building was constructed one year later by James Clark, a resident of Utica. Before the advent of the railroads the canal was the main commercial artery to Chicago. The canal helped establish Chicago as an important grain market and contributed greatly to the growth of that city and the northern part of the Illinois River Valley. Clark had also constructed five sections of the canal. He operated a general store in his warehouse, which in 1877 alone shipped 210,000 bushels of corn and 22,000 bushels of oats. This warehouse is the only one surviving on canal frontage.

Erected 1973 by La Salle County Historical Society • Illinois State Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1849.

Location. 41° 20.426′ N, 89° 0.586′ W. Marker is in North Utica, Illinois, in LaSalle County. It is on East Canal Street east of Mill Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker

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is in front of the La Salle County Historical Museum, which now occupies the former warehouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 E Canal St, Utica IL 61373, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern Illinois

and specifically in the Illinois River Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Aitken School (within shouting distance of this marker); Tornado Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Père Marquette (approx. 0.2 miles away); René Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle (approx. 1.6 miles away); Starved Rock (approx. 1.6 miles away); Fort Saint Louis (approx. 1.6 miles away); Commemorating the Deeds of the Union Veterans of the Civil War (approx. 1.6 miles away); The Illinois (approx.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 31, 2021

2. Canal Warehouse Marker

1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in North Utica.

Former Canal Warehouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 31, 2021

3. Former Canal Warehouse

The building is now home to the La Salle County Historical Museum.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 3, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 324 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 3, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.