Lewis University Canal and Regional History Collection |
" The early settlement of this area was inspired by the promise of the canal. Almost everything depended on it. Swamps, Bogs and sloughs combined with distance made overland freighting impractical and unprofitable. Progress seemed hopeless without a means to a market. In 1837 news arrived that contracts were being let, and that work would soon commence on the long awaited I&M Canal." (Joliet Herald News, Monday, April 13, 1970, p.5)Updated March 1, 2000
duffy ingram