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Transportation and Growth as a City
In 1833, the town of Chicago had about 150 people. It soon became very large because of its location where the Chicago river meets at a Great Lake, Lake Michigan. That made it easy to get to Chicago by boat. Chicago was also a perfect location to be a railroad hub because of the flat land, and many people used the railroads there. People came from all around because of Chicago's transportation. Chicago began to grow as a city and more and more people came. Soon Chicago had canals, trains, and cars and there were many ways to travel. Chicago became famous for its transportation which helped it become one of the largest cities in America.
Canals
The Erie Canal attached Lake Ontario to the Hudson River. The Hudson River flowed to New York City and the Atlantic Ocean. Because of the Erie canal, Chicago was connected to East Coast port cities by way of the Great Lakes which allowed Chicago to trade with those cities. In the 1830's, hundreds of men worked on improving the Chicago River. They got rid of a sandbar blocking the mouth of the river. They made way for the sailing ships and steamships moving through the Great Lakes. They also built piers for the harbor. In 1848 the Illinois and Michigan canal was finished through the old Indian portage. This connected Lake Michigan with the Illinois River which made Chicago attached to the Mississippi River system.Go back to top of page
Railroads
The railroads were the most important thing that happened to Chicago between 1848 and 1856. Chicago was a center of ten main railroad lines. One hundred trains came and went per day. The railroads became Chicago's first major industry and the canal became the second. Chicago quickly became the largest railroad center and then the largest city in Illinois. Chicago started out with about one hundred people and now has about 3,000,000.
During the American Civil War in 1861-1865, cattle started pouring into Chicago's stockyards from the west, transported by railroads. Many things were transported to Chicago by train such as copper, iron, farm products, crops, and meat such as pigs. The first train that came to Chicago carried wheat from farms to the west for about 10 miles. In 1865 the Union Stockyards were completed. As the grain trade grew, the nation's most important grain market became the Chicago Board of Trade. Quickly, the city's manufacturing industries grew.
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The "L" and Subways
Chicago's metro was called the "L" because most of its network was elevated. There were four elevated lines built by four different companies that began in the 1890's. Chicago's first elevated lines went south to Jackson Park. On May 12, 1893, the line was completed to Jackson Park, the location of the Columbian Exposition that year. This made it much easier for people to get to the Columbian Exposition easily. The second and third lines went west from downtown, Chicago. The fourth lines went north to Howard Street.
The first subway in Chicago began December 17, 1938. Mining through the soft clay underlying the city was a big engineering task, but they accomplished it without a single cave-in. On June 22, 1958, when the west side subway opened, the city achieved another first. Transit officials all around the world come to Chicago to learn more about the project.
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Airports
Chicago has three airports that connect the city to the rest of the world. They are O'Hare International Airport, Midway Airport, and Meigs Field. In 1949 Chicago changed the name of Orchard Field to O'Hare Airport after Edwin O'Hare. O'Hare is the world's busiest airport with 1200 flights every day. It has planes taking off and landing every 11 seconds.
In 1997 O'Hare served over 70,000,000 passengers. In 1998 and 1999 O'Hare was elected "best airport in the world." O'Hare handles more freight and mail than any other airport in the country. It is located northwest of the loop. Many people go to O'Hare on helicopters, expressways, and buses. The ATS is a people mover that connects the three domestic terminals in the center core, which is the International Terminal, and Economy parking. The traffic at O'hare is being studied. The Regional plan Commission may need to make O'Hare bigger as larger airliners come into use. Then, more of the smaller planes will be sent to Midway.
Midway airport is Chicago's oldest airport. It once was the world's busiest airport, but now Midway's runways are too short to handle big jet planes. Midway closed in 1962; however, it opened later for small planes to travel shorter distances. Midway is tiny in contrast to O'hare. It is now a small airport compared to other airports. In 1999, Midway served more than 13,000,000 passengers. In 1998, Midway became the fastest growing airport in North America.
Located on the northerly island in Burnham Park on Lake Michigan, Meigs Field is Chicago's smallest airport. It is used mainly by businessmen and women coming in their own private planes.
As you can see, Chicago grew quickly, and more and more people came. Chicago started out as a small city and soon became very large and busy because of its transportation connections to the world.
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