JHN_Old Canal Days 2023_053023

175th Anniversary

of the Illinois and Michigan Canal

By PATRICIA SZPEKOWSKI For Shaw Media

Big national news took place 175 years ago in 1848, including a gold rush sweeping California, the establishment and completion of the Washington Monument, and the opening of the first school to train women in the field of medicine in Boston.

Here in Illinois, a highly significant event occurred to help Chicago and the surrounding areas become the transportation hub of the United States before the railroad era. In April 1848, the 96-mile handdug Illinois and Michigan Canal (I & M Canal) opened in 1848 by connecting Lake Michigan to the Illinois River. It offered, for the first time, an inland, all-water route eventually leading to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

The I & M was partially replaced by the wider and deeper Chicago

Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1900 and in 1933 it ceased transportation operations with the completion of the Illinois Waterway.

Lockport was among the many towns in Northern Illinois that literally owes its existence to the I & M Canal with its path moving along 60 cities and towns, from Chicago to LaSalle-Peru. Travel and industry boomed across the areas, Chicago became a major metropolitan city, and the canal communities blossomed and grew, each commanding their own unique history and creating a storied past.

During this 175th anniversary year of the I & M Canal, celebrations and events will be held year-long until April 2024 honoring this momentous anniversary.

This will be a time to remember the mighty I & M Canal and explore the majesties it provides.

There will be celebrations, historical lectures, site explorations,

re-enactments, special tours of gardens and nature, boat tours, music festivals, wine festivals, Jr. Ranger Days, and a plethora of exciting community events, such as the popular annual Old Canal Days in Lockport.

They will take place throughout the I&M Canal National Heritage Area, which was designated in 1984 as the first of its kind - a national park of communities, not federal land. The Canal Corridor Association serves as its coordinating entity strengthening the collective voices of the region and interpreting the rich history of the Corridor and its significance in our nation’s history.

Looking back at the I & M Canal in its early days, one can only imagine the hub of excitement and change that took place. Lockport served as the headquarters of this great new canal.

Carved through a glacial

passageway, it was used by Native Americans, French fur traders, nineteenth-century pioneers, canal traders, and modern shipping industries. Migratory birds had new stops along the waterway and nature in all forms flourished.

People were able to travel as they boarded steamboats bringing them through the Great Lakes to Chicago. Canal boats then brought them along the I&M Canal to LaSalle/ Peru, where they were then able to embark on river steamers bound for St. Louis and New Orleans.

Two United States Presidents have left an indelible imprint on the I & M Canal. According to Lockport’s Lincoln Landing “it is believed that Abraham Lincoln traveled on the canal on more than one occasion between 1848 and 1852. In fact, during his only term as a Congressmen, Mr. Lincoln addressed the House of Representatives in See ANNIVERSARY, page 3

LEFT: Looking SW across the canal. ABOVE: Looking south at the 9th St. bridge. Norton Building is to the left and the Norton’s Flour Mill is to the right of the canal. Photos courtesy of Lockport Area Genealogical & Historical Society.

Continued from page 2

1848 proclaiming the completion and the opening of this important waterway”.

The Lincoln Landing recognizes the historical significance surrounding the canal and the park celebrates Lincoln’s involvement in the City of Lockport’s development. The park was dedicated on February 12, 2009, the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birthday.

Today, the I&M Canal and the communities it fostered are recognized for their historical, economic and cultural significance. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan, native son of Illinois, recognized that significance of the I & M Canal and signed a bill that established the region as the first National Heritage Area.

Historical treasures are part of the birth and growth of the City of Lockport. Look around, explore, and take part in the events and celebrations that are part of the rich heritage of this community.

Old Canal Days celebrates the contributions of the I and M Canal and its link to Lockport’s history and success. The popular summer festival commemorates the past and beckons thousands of residents and visitors with today’s family-style entertainment, music, carnival, fireworks, an artisan market, and more.

There’s no better time to enjoy the significance of the 175th Anniversary of the I & M Canal than to take part in another hallmark event - this year’s 50th Anniversary of Lockport’s Old Canal Days.

The Old Boat Yard, near 4th Street in Lockport. There is a boulder commemorating this area as you walk along the canal path. Photos courtesy of Lockport Area Genealogical & Historical Society.

Friday, June 9, 2023

Saturday, June 10, 2023

See

page 5

Sunday, June 11, 2023

will depart from Heritage Village every 1/2 hour.

at Old Canal Days Artisan Market

Get ready to scour the popular Artisan Market, organized and juried by the Lockport Woman’s Club, and find treasures and surprises as over 125 vendors present their crafting products at Old Canal Days on Saturday, June 10 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, June 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This two day handmade market features the finest artist, makers, and crafters, who instill their personal passions in to every item they create.

Visit the displays filled with food, fashion, jewelry, art, home and garden, bath and body products and more, which have been personally created with love by the creative vendors.

Ann Hintze, Lockport Woman’s Club past president and long-time member, notes that working on the

Artisan Market and many of the club’s other projects “is so beneficial in fostering friendships among our members”.

“This is the third year of our

Artisan Market at Old Canal Days, which we brought back after many years,” said Hintze. “The committee carefully selects our artisans and have approached our highly skilled

crafters who are featured at our holiday craft fair, too.”

The Lockport Woman’s Club continues to remain strong with a membership of 100 women of all ages. Since 1902, the Lockport Woman’s Club has promoted the philanthropic interests of the Lockport community through a variety of events and fundraising efforts, including Artisan Market at Old Canal Days, the popular holiday Christmas Crossroads craft fair, and more.

The Artisan Market is a philanthropic gathering where every dollar earned is dedicated to bolstering the Lockport Woman’s Club Legacy Project. This endeavor seeks to generate resources for a forthcoming community project that will bring positive change to the Lockport Area.

Old Canal Days

By RON LIF For Shaw Media

As Lockport celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Old Canal Days festival, we must acknowledge that without one community leader there would have been no Canal Days: Lewis University Professor John Lamb.

Professor Lamb came to Lewis University (Lewis College at the time) in 1956, shortly after completing an advanced degree at Fordham University and later studying for two additional years at Oxford University in England. He served as a History professor at Lewis for almost four decades. John developed an interest in the rich local history of the region, especially the Illinois and Michigan Canal and its impact on the growth and development of Chicago and

History

the State of Illinois. He accrued a sizeable personal collection of books, maps, manuscripts, photographs, models, artifacts, and other primary research materials over the years and this collection is housed in the Lewis University Library as The John Lamb Collection.

The Lockport Old Canal Days Festival was envisioned by Lamb as an event recreating the 19th century canal era in Lockport. The first Canal Days was held in May 1973. John remained head of the Old Canal Days Organization and the chief force behind the growing historical festival for many years. The first festival consisted of three principal events: an Arts and Crafts Festival in downtown streets, display and demonstration of pioneer crafts along banks

of Illinois and Michigan Canal, and walking tours of the Canal. Assistance to Lamb in this first effort was given by the Lockport Woman’s Club in running the street Arts and Crafts Fair, and by the Will County Historical Society.

The success of the first Old Canal Days Festival was such that Lamb decided to organize it on a more permanent basis. The Canal Days committee was made an Illinois Not for Profit Corporation and recognized by the I.R.S. as tax deductible for donors. In 1974, the festival was organized on a much more extensive scale. Tours were offered both on foot and by horsedrawn wagons. The Arts and Crafts fair drew over 100 participants from all over. There was also a greatly

See HISTORY, page 10

To

• HISTORY

Continued from page 8

increased number of pioneer Craft Demonstrators. The affair in 1974 drew a reported crowd of 45,000.

The original members of Lockport Old Canal Days Committee besides Chairman Lamb were Secretary Lucy Ward, Treasurer Finch Hoffer, Veronica Bollero, Rose Buciferro, Charles Hoscheit, George Michas and Margaret Sabo. One of their original goals was raising money to build an old time Canal Boat that would have traveled on the canal in Lockport. Unfortunately, this did not come to be, however the legacy of this group is a continued interest in Lockport’s history.

Canal Days had traditionally been held on Father’s Day weekend in June, and the first Canal Days parade was held in 1976. The carnival, arts and crafts fair and beer garden have all evolved over the years. The biggest change to this historic festival came in 2021. The festival date was changed from the 3rd weekend to the 2nd weekend in June. In addition, the location was changed to the former Texaco/Chevron parking lot, now known as Star Innovation District, on West 2nd Street. These changes helped the festival grow more than ever expected. The venue is right across the I & M Canal from the Heritage Village, where the history of the early days of Lockport are celebrated with ongoing demonstrations, history tours and other events that pay homage to Professor Lamb’s original vision.

Time to take aTour

CEMETERY TOURS

The Lockport City Cemetery is one of the oldest and most historic cemeteries in Northeastern Illinois. In many ways, the cemetery is an open-air museum of history and art. With the earliest graves dating back to the 1830s, the cemetery is home to significant figures associated with the Illinois and Michigan Canal and Lockport’s history including; William Gooding, the Canal’s Chief Engineer, George Gaylord, Hiram Norton, Robert Milne, John Lane, inventor of the first steel plow, and many others.

Ichabod Codding, one of the nation’s leaders of the Abolitionist movement, is also buried in the cemetery. Codding had major influence on Abraham Lincoln, and at one time, he served as the minister of the Congregational Church in Lockport. Soldiers from every American war, including the War of Independence, are also buried here.

During Old Canal Days, visitors will get an exclusive tour taking them back in time, guided by one of the City’s

historians. Lockport City Cemetery Tours will be held on Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11 at 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

The tours will start at the mausoleum on 6th Street. Parking is available at Milne Grove School, 565 E. 7th Street. The walking tour will last about 45 minutes and showcase the different revival styles of the monuments, some of which were carved by local artists.

HISTORIC LOCKPORT TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL TOURS

On June 9th at 3:00 p.m. and June 10th at noon, guests can meet school administrators at the front entrance at 1222 Jefferson Street to take an approximately 90-minute tour around this historic building. From the basement pool, Veterans Memorial Hall, and everything in between. Come take a trip down memory lane!

PAGE 10: Undated photo of wagon ride from an early Old Canal Days. LEFT: Undated photo from the Artisan Craft Fair at the early Old Canal Days. ABOVE: Undated photo of Irene Blatnick at Old Canal Days. Photo courtesy of Lockport Area Genealogical & Historical Society.

on the Canal Passenger travel

By RON LIF For Shaw Media

Although the Illinois & Michigan Canal was more important as a freight handler than as a passenger transport, it was also a packet canal.

The passenger packet boats, as they were called, appeared to represent the more romantic aspects of canaling. Although it was widely written about, many accounts did not make the method of travel sound overly appealing. Most of them featured the same basic accommodations: a multipurpose room which served as lounge, dining room, and sleeping room (with a curtain to separate the ladies and men), and a kitchen. Because

it was usually hot and stuffy in the cabin during the summer, passengers commonly sat on the deck or even the roof of the boat.

It was not a fast means of travel, as packets only traveled about five miles per hour. It took at least 22 hours to go from LaSalle to Chicago. The cost was $4 and included meals.

One passenger left a descriptive account of his trip from Chicago to LaSalle. He traveled on the “Queen of the Prairies”. Towed from Washington Street to Canalport Ave. in Chicago by steamer, they were thereafter towed by mule. He reported his supper was served “with the never failing of beefsteak as tough as usual”. The area that served as the dining room was later converted into sleeping quarters. It was not uncommon

for travelers to complain of “awaking with a headache, almost suffocating from the stifling air” of the closed room packed with other passengers. The need to keep the room closed was because of mosquitos and the fear of malaria that they carried.

On the “Queen of the Prairies”, breakfast was served at Morris and the packet arrived at LaSalle at six o’clock, the trip having taken 25 hours. Despite the many inconveniences and discomforts, packet travel was considered quite luxurious, and the packet lines left Chicago for LaSalle three times a day, with that same number leaving from LaSalle. The construction of the Rock Island Railroad, which ran parallel to the canal, phased out this era of the I & M’s Service.

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FOR A BETTER WORLD

FINE ARTS

Photo curtesy of Lois & Howard Adelmann collection-Lewis University.

At LEWIS UNIVERSITY, we believe that working together in community creates opportunities for all to learn, serve and succeed. Together,  we develop students who have the knowledge and skills to lead in their communities and make a difference in society.

The PHILIP LYNCH THEATRE and WADSWORTH ART

GALLERY are located in the Oremus Fine Arts Center on the main campus on Route 53. The season runs from fall to spring each year. Musical and non-musical performances by faculty, staff and students occur throughout the season. Box office hours are Monday–Friday from 1–4:30 p.m. The box office opens one hour before scheduled performances. Ticket prices generally range from $10-12 with discounts for seniors. Reservations are recommended for all performances. Tickets may be purchased online at lewisu.edu/plt

ATHLETICS

Join the LEWIS FLYERS for outstanding athletic competition in facilities that include an indoor track and fieldhouse, an 8-lane collegiate size swimming pool, softball, baseball and soccer fields, tennis courts, and a new outdoor, NCAA-certified 9-lane track. Lewis University competes in 23 NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Sports throughout the fall, winter and spring and is a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Many sports events are free. Tickets for certain events can be purchased online at lewisflyers.com

our campus for

HISTORY

The LEWIS UNIVERSITY HISTORY CENTER: Urban, Cultural and Catholic History of the Upper Midwest, located in the Library of the main campus, seeks to unite scholars, students, and the public in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of materials linked to the history of the Upper Midwest. The Center strives to preserve and promote the region’s heritage (with a special focus on the Illinois and Michigan Canal) through the collection of historic documents and materials and promotion of research and activities involving core areas of public history. lewisu.edu/historycenter

NATURE

in Lockport, IL History Important events

• 1818 Illinois becomes a state, December 3

• 1830 Armstead Runyon comes to area, names it Runyontown

• 1836 Construction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal Begins

• 1848 I&M Canal Opens

• 1853 Lockport incorporated as a village.

• 1858 Chicago to St. Louis Railroad opens

• 1865 Civil War Ends/Lincoln assassinated.

• 1895 Great Lockport Fire, August 9

• 1900 Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal Opens

• 1904 Lockport incorporates as a city

• 1906 Dellwood Park opens

• 1907 Lockport Powerhouse & Lock opens

• 1909 LTHS Central opens for classes

• 1911 Texaco Lockport Refinery Opens

• 1917 US enters WWI

• 1933 End of transportation on I&M

• 1941 US enters WWII

• 1963 LTHS Marching Band wins National Music Man Band Competition.

• 1964 LTHS East opens for classes

• 1965 Tornado damages many Lockport buildings-Aug 26

• 1970 9th Street Bridge opens to traffic-December

• 1973 1st Lockport Canal Days May 19 & 20

• 1976 1st Lockport Canal Days Parade June 18

• 1978 LTHS Boys Basketball wins state AA championship

• 1981 Texaco Lockport Refinery Closes

• 1984 Canal Corridor declared National Heritage Area

• 2007 I-355 extension opens-November

• 2009 Lincoln Landing opens to public

• 2018 Illinois Bicentennial December 3

• 2021 1st Old Canal Days at former Texaco Property

• 2023 50th anniversary of Old Canal Days & 175th anniversary of Opening of I&M Canal

Lockport fire of 1895. View from west side of State Street looking south across 9th Street. Photo courtesy of Lockport Area Genealogical & Historical Society.

Lockport fire of 1895. View from west side of State Street looking north from 10th Street. Photo courtesy of Lockport Area Genealogical & Historical Society.

and State Street looking west at the Texaco Refinery which is the current location of Old Canal Days. Circa 1940.

Photo courtesy of Lockport Area Genealogical & Historical Society.

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Old National proudly supports Old Canal Days 50th Anniversary

From the vantage point of 2nd and State Street looking west at the Texaco Refinery which is the current location of Old Canal Days. Circa 1940.

Photo courtesy of Lockport Area Genealogical & Historical Society.

Lockport Old Canal Days

Parade

The Lockport Old Canal Days parade kicks off at 6pm on Friday June 9Rain or Shine.

This year celebrates the 50th anniversary of Old Canal Days and the parade will be better than ever to celebrate this milestone.

The parade will kick off at 12th and State Street and march north to 3rd Street. There are more than 50 participants in this year’s parade, among them the LTHS Marching Band & the Joliet American Legion Band.

Once the parade ends at 3rd Street spectators can head right over to 2nd Street and walk west into the Old Canal Days festival grounds right across the 2nd Street bridge.

Beer sales start at 7:00 pm and continue until 11:15 pm. The Righteous Hillbillies will take center stage from 7 pm to 9 pm followed by Infinity from 9:30 pm to 11:30 pm.

14 food vendors will also be available for great food and the carnival continues until 11:30 pm.

Please note that on Friday, June 9, beginning at 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., State Street will be closed between Thornton Street and Division Street. This closure includes the intersection of 9th and State.