Transportation
20
Originally flowing eastward from the prairie homelands of the Potawatomi and other Indian tribes into Lake Michigan, the Chicago River linked the waters of the Atlantic, the St. Lawrence, and the Great Lakes with those of the Illinois, the Mississippi, and the Gulf of Mexico. From 1673, commerce and civilization followed this natural waterway from the seaboard to the heart of the continent. The strategic importance of the junction of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan to early American development led to the establishment of Fort Dearborn and the founding of the City of Chicago.
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Chicago, Illinois · United States
