The Loop District in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Chicago
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 10, 2024
1. Chicago Marker
Chicago (Chicagou in the Algonquin tongue) was named for the wild onions that grew in abundance on the river banks.
1673 Guided by Indians, Pere Jacque Marquette, a Jesuit Missionary and Louis Jolliet an explorer, arrive at the portage to Lake Michigan.
Jolliet foretold of the canal which would one day allow passage to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi.
La Hontan's map of 1703 used Chegakou and Lac des Illinois to indicate the portage and site of Chicago on Lake Michigan
Rene Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle bulit Le Griffon, the first ship of commerce on the Great Lakes.
He predicted that one day Chicago would be a great city.
1679
Erected 2000.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Illinois & Michigan Canal series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1673.
Location. 41° 53.273′ N, 87° 36.835′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in The Loop District. It is at the intersection of
this page online
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, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: "Shovel Day" (here, next to this marker); The Burnham Plan (here, next to this marker); Chicago in the 1830s (here, next to this marker); The Michigan Avenue Bridge (a few steps from this marker); A Century of Progress (a few steps from this marker); The Reversal of the Chicago River (a few steps from this marker); Illinois and Michigan Canal (a few steps from this marker); Chicago River Bridge Technology (a few steps
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 10, 2024
2. Chicago Riverwalk murals beneath Lake Shore Drive
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 . . . Jolliet and La Salle's Canal Plans. From the Encyclopedia of Chicago, by the Chicago Historical Society.
Excerpt: Jolliet made a careful notation of the physiography of the area, leading us to believe that he and his companions spent several days there. The Chicago Portage fascinated Jolliet. He recognized the potential of a direct maritime link between the St. Lawrence estuary on the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, writing to another Jesuit priest: '...it should be easy to go as far as Florida in a bark.... A canal would need to be cut across in only half a league of a prairie in order to enter from the lake in the River St. Louis (Illinois River) which discharges into the Mississippi.'(Submitted on December 5, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 6, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 5, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 53 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 5, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 2. submitted on December 4, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
