The Loop District in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Reversal of the Chicago River
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 10, 2024
1. The Reversal of the Chicago River Marker
By 1854 Chicago had suffered for six years with fatal epidemics of typhoid fever and cholera. The Illinois and Michigan Canal was inadequate for carrying the polluted water away from Lake Michigan.
In 1871 new stronger pumps were installed on the canal at Bridgeport in an attempt to reverse the flow of the river but despite a new sewage system, disease continued to plague the city.
In 1885 great numbers of the population died from typhoid and cholera after an unprecedented rain storm contaminated the water supply. The public demanded a solution to the problem.
1889 In order to establish a plan for cleaner water the State of Illinois issued a charter to the newly formed Sanitary District of Chicago. (Since 1989 renamed as The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago)
1892 The Sanitary and Ship Canal was begun. Steam shovels were used to dig and rail cars carried earth out up the steep incline. Running parallel to the shallow old canal it was much wider and deeper and allowed for the necessary increase in the flow of water out of Lake Michigan.
By 1900 construction of the Sanitary and Ship
this page online
Erected 2000.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Science & Medicine • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.
Location. 41° 53.271′ N, 87° 36.824′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in The Loop District. It is at the intersection of Chicago Riverwalk and Jean Baptiste Point du Sable Lake Shore Drive (U.S. 41), on the right when traveling east on Chicago Riverwalk. The mural is in the underpass beneath Lake Shore Drive. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture,
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 10, 2024
2. Chicago Riverwalk murals beneath Lake Shore Drive
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: "Shovel Day" (a few steps from this marker); The World's Columbian Exposition (a few steps from this marker); Chicago (a few steps from this marker); The Burnham Plan (a few steps from this marker); The Michigan Avenue Bridge (a few steps from this marker); Chicago River Bridge Technology (a few steps from this marker); Chicago in the 1830s (a few steps from this marker); A Century of Progress (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.
More about this marker. The mural is one of several erected in the Chicago Riverwalk's tunnel beneath Lake Shore Drive, close to where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan.
Also see . . . A River Reversed: How 19th Century Engineering Saved Chicago.
Excerpt: "The goal was to build the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC), one with far greater capacity than the I & M. By drawing more water from Lake Michigan, and using a series of locks, the new canal could permanently reverse the river, send diluted sewage toward(Submitted on December 5, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)the watershed of the Mississippi, and at the same time provide the depth and width needed to accommodate larger vessels. Whereas navigation had been the prime concern behind the I&M Canal, the priority with the CSSC was safe drinking water. However, improved navigation would help to appease farmers, towns, and cities downstream opposed to receiving Chicago's sewage, diluted or not. Many would bring lawsuits anyway."Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum (ICHi-0039423-02), August 22, 18953. Dynamite blast during construction of the Sanitary and Ship Canal
Credits. This page was last revised on December 6, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 4, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 55 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 4, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
