How does the Illinois River connect with both the Mississippi and Lake Michigan?

[Quixote1818]

I know this is an odd question. Are their locks or something that connect it somehow? If so where are the locks? It must have been two rivers at one time. One running north into Chicago and Lake Michigan and the other running south into the Mississippi. They must have cut a canal with locks that connected the two rivers then just called it the Illinois? Am I right?

I need this info for a book. Thanks

[barb162]

1. There are many locks along the river, at Starved Rock State

Park and I don't know how many other places.http://jove.geol.niu.edu/faculty/fischer/429_info/429trips/starvedrock/lock.html

Before the lock and dams were built on the Illinois River, it was very hard to navigate which created a long and wearying trip. Because it was important to have a water connection between Lake Michigan (Chicago) and the Mississippi River, the Illinois and Michigan Canal was built in the mid 1800's. The canal follows an ancient riverbed that is believed to have flowed 8000 years ago. The canal was 96 miles long, 6 feet deep, 60 feet wide and had 15 locks in its heyday. The building of the railroad essentially put an end to canal traffic, but it was not closed officially until 1930 when it became apparent that the canal could not keep up with the large volumes of river traffic.

snip

[Quixote1818]

2. Excellent! This is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks. nt

[Critters2]

3. The Illinois River doesn't actually connect with Lake Michigan per se

but is part of the Illinois Waterway, which connects the Illinois with the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. This is done by a series of locks. The Illinois actually starts where the Des Plaines and the Kankakee meet between Joliet and Morris. Before the Illinois Waterway was built, the Illinois wasn't used for shipping. Instead, the Illinois and Michigan Canal ran parallel to it. Now, there is a series of locks and dams that make shipping possible. I think the locks that connect the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and the Illinois are at Lockport, but I'm not sure.

I live near the locks at Starved Rock. In the winter, the eagles gather near the dam because the rest of the river is frozen, so they find fish just below the dam. Most cool.

Hope this helps!

[barb162]

7. I was just there; the colors were very pretty there this Fall

and Matteson SP

[Critters2]

10. You mean Matthiesen? It is beautiful

This area has lots of state parks, because the river valleys are so beautiful--Starved Rock, Buffalo Rock, Matthiesen, Illini. All beautiful, especially in the fall. But you should try to be at Starved Rock on Raptor Weekend in January. The Audubon Society sets up telescopes at the Lock and Dam to watch the eagles, and there are all kinds of speakers and demos at the Lodge. Last year, though, it was warm enough that the river wasn't frozen, so not so many eagles at the dam. Damn global warming!!

Matthiesen was a private estate of a wealthy businessman, founder of Carus Chemical in LaSalle. It was good of him to leave it to the state as a park.

[AngryAmish]

4. I thought

Des Plaines River flowed into the Illinois after the Fox. Cal-Sag Channel connects Lake Michigan to Des Plaines.

[Critters2]

5. The Des Plaines meets the Kankakee in Grundy County to form the Illinois.

The Fox meets the Illinois at Ottawa. So, the Des Plaines comes before the Fox.

[Critters2]

6. I'm curious. What's your book about? Thanks. nt

[Quixote1818]

8. It's a children's book about an adventurous trout

Sorry I didn't respond but I was off line. The book is called "Alexander Trout's Amazing Adventure" It's already being illustrated by Wes Lowe, see his website here: http://www.childrensillustrators.com/illustrator.cgi/weslowe

It's about a trout that lives in Rocky Mountain National Park who is carried over the Continental Divide by an Eagle and breaks free on the East side of the divide. He then realizes he must make a 10 thousand mile journey to get back home. I wanted to take him through Chicago and New York and noticed that it looked like the Illinois River connected the Mississippi and Lake Michigan. That gave me a way to take him north instead of south.

You can view my website here: www.impossibledreamspub.com

This is my second book. My first was Billy's Mountain. Alexander Trout is a chapter book though.

[eppur_se_muova]

9. Have you read William Least Heat-Moon's "River Horse" ?

He crossed the US by boat, having to travel by land for only a few miles. Unfortunately, he crossed from the Mississippi/Ohio basin into the Great Lakes much farther East, so that doesn't help you, though you might glance at his route map anyway. There is a lake in upstate NY which drains both East and West, which is how he got from New York City harbor to the Great Lakes.

[Critters2]

11. If Alex heads down the Illinois, he'll need to watch out for eagles

around the Starved Rock Lock and Dam!