My Nonprofit Reviews

This museum keeps alive the all-but-forgotten greatness of maritime Chicago. Chicago is not on the sea, but is on Lake Michigan, one of the inland Great Lakes in North America. The Chicago River draining into the lake became a busy commercial harbor in the 1800's, but it was also the recipient of waste in sewers and the source of pollution flowing into the lake. Drainage has always been problematical in Chicago due to the flat topography and high lake level. Developing the river as a commercial harbor was concurrent with building canals and resolving drainage and sanitation problems. As a result, Chicago today is a healthy and vibrant city for all to enjoy and prosper. The museum is a great educational organization helping to keep alive the complicated, ever-changing, and surprising history of drainage and navigation in Chicago.