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The Race to Reverse the River | Chicago Stories

The Race to Reverse the River

Chicago was growing by leaps and bounds throughout the 19th century. The frontier town quickly grew into the largest metropolis in the Midwest. But as Chicago’s profile and population grew, a hidden killer was taking lives. Sewage and waste was being dumped into the Chicago River and polluting Lake Michigan, the source of the city’s drinking water. Officials were left with no other option but to embark on a daring design to reshape part of the natural world – and reverse the flow of the Chicago River.

Men working with machinery to build canal
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Construction on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, as pictured sometime between 1892 and 1900

A Remarkable Feat of Engineering: When Chicago Reversed Its River

Construction on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, as pictured sometime between 1892 and 1900 Image: Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago

Long before kayakers paddled along the Chicago River or diners sipped wine on the Riverwalk or visitors looked up at the dazzling buildings from a tour boat, Chicago was a rugged frontier town, and its waterways were a reflection of that.

After Chicago officially became a town in 1833, the city’s population rapidly expanded. A town of roughly 300 people at its incorporation, Chicago grew to more than 100,000 people by the 1860s and reached 1 million residents by the 1890s. People flocked to the new city for all the opportunities a new city might afford. But with all those people came waste in all its unsavory forms.

Chicago had a couple of things working against it when it came to healthy water: its low-lying geography, and a lack of reliable, sanitary infrastructure. The city was flat, creating an inherent drainage problem. It had wooden sidewalks, dirt roads, and no sewers. People often dumped their waste into the street or into the backyard … Read more

How Chicago Reversed Its River: An Animated History

Dive into the animated history of how Chicago reversed the flow of the river -- an engineering marvel with a few surprises along the way!

Beaver sitting on the edge of the Chicago River

What the Animals of the Chicago River Can Tell Us About Its Health

The Kinzie Mansion, which John Kinzie purchased from Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, and Fort Dearborn, painted circa 1900 by an unidentified artist. Oil on canvas

The History of the Chicago River

The story of the Chicago River is at turns hapless and hopeful and, like Chicago itself, it is always evolving, and never dull.

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It might be hard to imagine that a river that once had an unfortunate, gurgling branch called “Bubbly Creek” could be teeming with anything other than, well, muck. But after decades of work to clean up the mess, one walk along sections of the Chicago River system reveals a much more optimistic picture.

The Kinzie Mansion, which John Kinzie purchased from Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, and Fort Dearborn, painted circa 1900 by an unidentified artist. Oil on canvas

The History of the Chicago River

The story of the Chicago River is at turns hapless and hopeful and, like Chicago itself, it is always evolving, and never dull.

Go deeper

“The river system is alive with wildlife. It is really amazing. And if you spend any time outside, you end up seeing some really interesting things,” said Margaret Frisbie, executive director of the Friends of the Chicago River.

All kinds of animals rely on the Chicago River, its banks, and the surrounding areas. The river and its tributaries are their home, their source of food, their social club, and their highway. A variety of species – birds, bugs, fish, amphibians, and all manner of mammals – live in the areas near the river, along its banks, and in the water itself … Read more

Soar Above the Chicago River

Enjoy a couple of minutes of peace and fly with a drone that follows the Main Branch and South Branch of the Chicago River.

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Geoffrey Baer with Wolf Point in background

The Chicago River Tour

In the epic drama that is Chicago’s history, the Chicago River has played many roles, by turns hero, villain, and underdog. The most iconic river scenes lie near the river’s confluence with Lake Michigan, the junction that gave rise to the city itself, where skyscrapers now exalt the river’s banks and form a spectacular canyon of stunning architecture.

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Follow that flush

WTTW News Explains: What Happens After You Flush?

Every time you flush, the waste disappears in a swirly whirl, never to be seen again. It’s magic! Actually, it’s science and engineering. And the flush is just the start.

Let’s follow that flush!

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River otters

River Otters Are Back in Chicago. A New Research Project Aims To Find Out How They’re Adapting

The Urban River Otter Research Project recently launched in Cook County. One of the early goals is to gather otter sightings from the public in order to get a sense of the extent of the animal’s presence in and around Chicago.

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Copi marketing sign

Introducing Copi, the Fish Formerly Known as Asian Carp

Illinois is rebranding Asian carp as “copi” in a bid to get people to eat the invasive fish into submission. Fishermen are catching thousands of pounds a day and barely making a dent in the number of carp in waterways like the Illinois River, where it's estimated 20 million to 50 million could be harvested annually.

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Animation still from explainer video

WTTW News Explains: How Do Chicago’s Lake Michigan Water Cribs Work?

Meet Ellis Chesbrough, Chicago’s first city engineer and designer of the water delivery system we still use today. WTTW News Explains how water cribs work out on Lake Michigan.

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Lead support for Chicago Stories is provided by The Negaunee Foundation.

Major support is provided by the Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust, TAWANI Foundation on behalf of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, and the Donna Van Eekeren Foundation.