This is the story of how the Chicago River went from being used as a sewer to serving as a thriving ecosystem.
After the big population boom of Chicago.
So think of 1833, when the Chicago region had maybe 400 to 500 people.
It was once a flourishing, gorgeous, pristine prairieland with a river running through it.
And then fast-forward 30 years to 1860s, when there was over 120,000.
That is a huge population increase.
And whenever a population increase happens next to a waterway, usually that waterway is negatively impacted.
So that meandering prairie stream, it was not great for bigger boats and high populations of transportation.
So it was manipulated by people, it was deepened, it was widen, it was straightened.
The Chicago River connects to Lake Michigan, which supplies all the drinking water for the region.
