Flowing through downtown Chicago, the river that bears the name of the city has an interesting history. A popular theory states that the city acquired its name after a chief named Shecaugo drowned in the river that later became the Chicago River and the town earned the title from the river. Since 1979, Friends has been working to improve the health of the Chicago River system for the benefit of people and wildlife and by doing so, has laid the foundation for the river to be a beautiful, continuous, easily accessible corridor of open space in the Chicago region. Heavy industry has given way to a glistening new downtown where people work in offices, visit famous cultural institutions and, increasingly, make their homes.

The Chicago River has been many things over the years: an artery for industrial shipping, a handy place to dump sewage, and an ever-present barrier to transportation and development. By 1830, Chicago was a recognized municipality of just 100 people. Whether traveling by boat or kayak, the Chicago River — an intricate system that runs from northwest to southwest — offers a fun way to explore the city’s various neighborhoods. In 1871, during a period of particularly low water, the city pumped water from the Chicago River into the Illinois and Michigan Canal to maintain its level, which led Chicago’s sewage to float away from Lake Michigan. St. Louis filed an injunction against the reversal on January 17. Friends of the Chicago River is the only organization solely dedicated to the Chicago River system. Friends of the Chicago River is the only organization solely dedicated to the Chicago River system. Since 1979, Friends has been working to improve the health of the Chicago River system for the benefit of people and wildlife and by doing so, has laid the foundation for the river to be a beautiful, continuous, easily accessible corridor of open space in the Chicago region. Along the banks are pedestrian friendly promenades lined … This site focuses on the eighteen bridges from N. Lake Shore Drive, at the mouth of the Chicago River to West Van Buren Street, on the South Branch. Once a corridor of commercial activity, the river has been transformed into a recreational area with sightseeing boats and kayaks. Newly Discovered Film Shows 1915 Sinking of Ship The SS Eastland was a passenger ship that sunk in the Chicago River on July 24, 1915.
Chicago Loop Bridges provides some background information on these beauties, takes you on a virtual tour, and provides suggestions for touring on your own. In the 1780s, Jean Batiste Point du Sable built a farm at the mouth of the Chicago River, becoming the first non-native permanent settler. A few days later, according to the Chicago Record, “Water that was actually blue in color and had blocks of ice of a transparent green hue floating in it…caused people who crossed bridges over the Chicago River…to stop and stare in amazement.”. The name may have originally referred to a small natural island at the north side of the confluence of the North and South Branches of the Chicago River that was home to seasonal flocks of birds.