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WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

Chicago Portage - A Link To The Past, Present & Future

Many people consider the Chicago Portage to be the transportation link that spurred the growth of Chicago. Some call it the "Birthplace of Chicago" or even "Chicago's Plymouth Rock." Whatever you call it, the Byron Forest Preserve is hosting a free Zoom lecture about the portage's history dating back to the Ice Age. Paula Bryant is an archaeologist with Illinois State Survey Archaeology and she will lead the lecture. 

Credit Connie Kuntz
Sculpture at the Chicago Portage.

"This place has been known to Native American groups for thousands of years," she said. "Then in 1673, the French voyagers Marquette and Joliet were on their expedition and were recommended this area as a shortcut to get back to their area around Green Bay by going up the Illinois River instead of further up the Mississippi." 

When Joliet passed through, he noted that a short canal could link the waterways and provide a more permanent route for steady travel.

Depending on the time of year, Bryant says there could be free-flowing waters during the spring floods or dry prairie during the height of summer. Sometimes it was in a marshy "transitional" state. This was called Mud Lake.

"You would either go through on open water during the spring or -- if you had to portage -- you would take your canoe and all of your goods from one navigable port of the waterway to the other," said Bryant.

In settling times, waterways were considered the most efficient and economical routes across America but bridges weren't part of the infrastructure. The Chicago Portage made it possible for people to canoe through several rivers and carry the goods and supplies needed to build Chicago. 

Right now, the portage is iced over but there is a 2.5 mile loop around it. It's open to hikers, cross-country skiers and snowshoers -- and an abundance of wildlife. What was once a reliable travel-and-commerce corridor is now a busy forest preserve for nature-lovers as well as flora and fauna. The tracks of several species of wildlife  -- ranging in size from mouse or vole to deer -- wind through the portage, sometimes crossing each other.

Credit Connie Kuntz
Animal tracks crisscross in the snow.

"Because it's located on the Des Plaines River -- and leading into the Illinois River -- it's part of the Mississippi flyway," Bryant said. "So you have a lot of different kinds of birds going through throughout the year. And then there's also the aquatic animals that are living along the Des Plaines."

The Chicago Portage is a national historic site, one of two in Illinois. 

"Once you pull in, there's a little circle drive and there's a large statue of Marquette and Joliet," said Bryant. "There's some signage that explains a little bit about the area. And then there's a path that loops around and it'll take you by the Des Plaines River that you can see through the trees and kind of how easily it would have flowed into the portage creek and Mud Lake area during the high water episodes." 

The Chicago Portage is open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day. Since November 2020, the park asks the visitors to stay six feet away from each other and wear face masks.

Credit Connie Kuntz

The Zoom event is Sunday, Feb. 28 from 2-4 p.m. and you can click here to learn how to access it. 

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