The Cortland Street drawbridge was the first in the United States to use a trunnion design. This solution turned out to be so successful from a technical point of view that more than 50 bridges of this type subsequently appeared.

The Cortland Street Bridge was opened in 1902. It consists of two spans, each of which is suspended on huge axes - trunnions. With the help of counterweights, the wings of the bridge were raised almost to a vertical position, opening up space for steamboats plying along the river. The authors of the project, engineers John Erickson and Edward Wilman, created such a perfect mechanism that the bridge could be raised in just one minute in calm weather and in three minutes in strong winds.

The total length of the bridge is about 39 meters. Today, its adjustable mechanism is not used, and large steel structures on both sides have turned into mere decorative elements.

The bridge is used for two-way traffic of vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. In 1991, the Cortland Street Drawbridge was designated a Chicago Historic Landmark.

Kinzie Street Railroad Bridge

The railroad bridge across the Chicago River at Kinzie Street was once vital to the city. Built in 1908, for almost a century it helped trains get from one bank to the other without hindrance, ensuring the development of the industry of the western Chicago area.

The bridge is a single-span lifting structure. At the time of its construction, it was the longest and heaviest drawbridge in the world. The technical find of the authors of the project was a huge counterweight, which made it possible to keep the wing of the bridge in a raised position. When there was a need to pass a train, the bridge was lowered. Then they raised it again so as not to interfere with the movement of transport along the river.

With the development of urban transport networks, the need to use the bridge has disappeared. In the 1990s, only the Chicago Sun-Times brought paper for its printing house along this line. But in the future, she also refused such a transportation scheme.

In 2001, the bridge was lowered for the last time. Then his wing was raised, and in this position it remains to this day.

Bridge on Michigan Avenue

The Michigan Avenue Bridge in Chicago became the world's first two-level bridge. It was assumed that faster non-commercial vehicles would move along its upper part, and the lower part would become an overpass for heavy trucks.

The bridge was opened to traffic in 1920, although finishing work was completed only eight years later. The bridge is almost 122 meters long and 28 meters wide. When the bridge is not raised, only small vessels, not more than 5 meters high, can pass under it. The bridge consists of two parts, the weight of each of them is 3340 tons. The time of raising the bridge is only 8 minutes. For the same time, both of its spans can return to a horizontal position.

There are two stone towers on each side of the bridge. Their facades are decorated with bas-relief compositions reflecting the stages of the history of Chicago and the images of the discoverers of these places. There are 28 flagpoles on the railing of the bridge, designed for the flags of the USA, the state of Illinois and Chicago. The Southwest Tower was converted in 2006 into a themed museum of the Chicago River and the history of the bridge itself. The museum is quite small - only 34 people can be in it at the same time. However, visitors can observe with their own eyes the process of raising the bridge spans, which arouses their constant interest.

Chicago is considered the birthplace of skyscrapers - it was here that the world's first high-rise building appeared in 1885. It is believed that this is the second largest city in the United States by the number of skyscrapers - only Manhattan has more. Chicago is located on the coast of Lake Michigan in Illinois. It is the third most populous city in the US after New York and Los Angeles. More than 2.7 million people live in the city, and almost 10 million people live in the agglomeration.

1. The first Europeans appeared in the vicinity of modern Chicago as early as 1673, but a permanent settlement was formed only 100 years later - it was a fort to protect against attacks by Indian tribes. Due to its favorable geographical location between the east and west of America, Chicago quickly became the country's key transport hub and began to grow rapidly.

2. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire broke out and lasted two days. The city had to be rebuilt.

The construction boom, coupled with the high cost of land, led to the appearance in 1885 of the first skyscraper. It was a 10-story building of the Insurance Company (The Home Insurance Building), which lasted until 1931.

3. Now there are 114 skyscrapers in Chicago - this is one of the highest cities in the world.

4. Business Center Chicago Loop ("Chicago Loop").

The highest skyscrapers of the city are concentrated here, as well as most of the architectural sights.

5. Loop translated from English - a loop. A bizarre name for the business district of Chicago at one time was given by the ring line of the elevated subway.

6. Tribune Tower.

The headquarters of the most popular newspaper in Chicago and the entire Midwest - the Chicago Tribune. The skyscraper, 141 meters high, was built in 1923-1925 in neo-gothic style. Stones from the famous buildings of the world that the Chicago Tribune correspondents brought from trips (for example, the Great Wall of China, the Parthenon and St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome) are embedded in its walls.

7. Wrigley Building.

William Wrigley Jr. building - one of the leaders in the world chewing gum market. It is the first Chicago skyscraper to have air-conditioned offices.

8. A network of tunnels passes through the city, through which you can drive under the center without traffic jams. In addition, there are special entrances for special equipment, for example, for garbage collection from skyscrapers.

The photo shows the bridge on Michigan Avenue, which became the first two-level bridge in world history. It was assumed that faster non-commercial vehicles would move along its upper part, and the lower part would become an overpass for heavy trucks.

7. Marina City.

The complex of high-rise buildings was built in 1964 and was immediately nicknamed "Corn on the Cob" for its characteristic shape. It consists of two 65-storey identical towers 179 meters high. The lower 18 floors are reserved for parking, and moorings for yachts are equipped on the river side.

8. The uniqueness of apartments in Marina City lies in the fact that here you will not find right angles. According to the architect's idea, on each floor the common corridor was made in the form of a circle, which is framed in the form of wedges by 16 rooms (condominiums). The entire ensemble is completed by a semicircular balcony, separated from the rest of the living space by impact-resistant glass from floor to ceiling.

Tower cranes were used in the construction of the Marina City complex for the first time in America.

9. The Chicago River is the only river in the world that flows in the opposite direction.

In the 19th century, the city faced the problem of lack of drinking water. Water was then taken from Lake Michigan, and waste was dumped into the Chicago River, which flowed into the same lake. Then the municipality made a truly revolutionary decision - to turn the Chicago River so that it does not flow into Lake Michigan, but flows out of it! So they did in 1900 - the problem with sewage and drinking water for the city was solved.

By the way, for more than 40 years, on St. Patrick's Day (March 17), the Chicago River has been painted bright green.

10. Millennium Park.

The public park, located in downtown Chicago, is the northwestern section of the huge Grant Park and is closely adjacent to the Chicago skyscrapers. This advantageous location has made the park one of the main centers of attraction for locals and tourists.

11. Sculpture "Cloud Gate" (Cloud Gate).

Residents soon nicknamed this sculpture "Bob" because of its shape, reminiscent of a bean.
This 100-ton structure was built between 2004 and 2006 and consists of 168 sheets of stainless steel, polished to such an extent that its outer surface has no visible seams. The Cloud Gate reflects almost the entire surrounding landscape. In order for "Bob" to always shine, you need to use 150 liters of detergent at a time.

Bob's design was created by British artist Anish Kapoor. It is believed that the image of the sculpture was inspired by the sight of a drop of mercury.

12. Pritzker Pavilion.

Concert venue for 4000 seats (including the adjacent lawn - 7000), designed by the world-famous architect Frank Gehry. The pavilion consists of curved steel surfaces, reminiscent of a graceful flower or the unfolding sails of a ship. The stage is designed in such a way that the sound is equally audible to any of the listeners, regardless of where he sits.

The road to the pavilion leads through a curved bridge that connects Millennium Park with a neighboring park. The bridge is named after British Petroleum (BP), which donated $5 million to build it. The bridge is closed for the winter, as the ice is not cleared from the wooden deck.

13. Willis Tower.

At the time of completion, this 110-story, 443-meter skyscraper was the tallest building in the world. He held this record for 25 years - until the construction of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010.

14. Now the Willis Tower is the second tallest building in the United States (after the Freedom Tower) and the tenth tallest building in the world.

15. The skyscraper stands on 9 "piles" of square section, interconnected. They go up to the 50th floor. Then the building begins to narrow. Another 7 "piles" go up to the 66th floor, 5 - up to the 90th and only two "piles" form the remaining 20 floors. Each such "pile", in fact, is a whole building. Relatively speaking, the Willis Tower is 9 skyscrapers with different heights, which are connected into one house.

Willis Tower is the first building for which such a design was used. The design allows, if desired or necessary, to complete more floors from above.

16. From the observation deck on the 103rd floor of the building you can see 4 states at once: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. It opened on June 22, 1974 and was named Skydeck. More than 1.3 million tourists visit Skydeck every year.

17. The skyscraper was originally called the Sears Tower. But since July 16, 2009, the high-rise building bears the name of one of the tenants, who occupies several floors in it, moreover, without paying any remuneration. After 2024, the skyscraper may change its name, as the right to the name is valid for 15 years.

18. Museum of Natural History. Field (The Field Museum of Natural History).

The main exhibit of the museum is the Tyrannosaurus Sue. It is the largest surviving Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton in the world.

19. Chicago Temple Building.

The "religious" skyscraper was built in 1924. After 30 years, the so-called "Sky Chapel" was built on its roof. The top of its spire in the Gothic style is located at a height of 173.3 meters.

Now only the first five floors are occupied by religious organizations, and the premises from the 5th to the 23rd floor are leased to various commercial organizations. Since the skyscraper is not used entirely for religious purposes, it is not included in the list of the tallest temples.

20. Chicago Picasso (Chicago Picasso).

The 15-meter sculpture, made in the style of cubism, is a popular meeting place in Chicago. Residents often call her the Horse or Picasso's Fox, depending on who has what associations.

According to one version, the creation of the original 162-ton statue of Pablo Picasso was inspired by the image of Lydia Corbett, to whom the artist devoted many of his works. Picasso himself was even offered a fee of $100,000, but was turned down, saying that he wanted to make his work a gift to the city.

22. Chicago subway.

The Chicago Metropolitan consists of 8 lines with a total length of 170 km, with 92 km of lines passing above the ground (along overpasses). It is the third busiest subway in the US after New York and Washington.

23. Near North Side is the area adjacent to the Chicago Loop from the north.

24. "Magnificent Mile" (Magnificent Mile).

This is one of the most famous shopping streets in the world. Located on Michigan Avenue, north of the Chicago River. The areas around the Magnificent Mile are considered some of the most expensive and prestigious in Chicago.

25. John Hancock Center.

The building is named after the statesman and hero of the struggle for US independence. Residents often call him "Big John" (Big John).

The main feature of this 100-story skyscraper is its hollow structure, resembling a large quadrangular column. Thanks to the crossed steel struts, the structure of the building is stronger and more rigid. At a wind speed of about 100 km / h, the building deviates by only 15-20 cm.

26. The Navy Pier is Chicago's largest tourist attraction.

27.

28. Merchandise Mart.

Commercial and office center, opened in 1930. The area of ​​the premises is 370,000 sq.m, within 10 km of corridors. Today it is the second building in America in terms of internal area after the Pentagon.

30. Carbit-and-Carbon Building (Carbide & Carbon Building).

This building is now called the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago. For a Russian, this skyscraper is notable for the fact that Danila Bagrov, the hero of the film "Brother-2", went up the fire escape to it, pronouncing the poem "I found out that I have a huge family ...". True, now this external fire escape has been dismantled.

31. Aqua (Aqua).

On the first 18 floors of this 87-story skyscraper is a hotel, on the rest - apartments and penthouses.

32. Architectural bureau Studio Gang Architects designed the balconies of the building in such a way that each level is offset from the above and below by some distance. As a result, bizarre folds appeared on the facade, due to which it seems that water is flowing from the roof of the building along its walls.

33. Trump International Hotel & Tower.

Built in 2009, the building became the second tallest in the United States after the Chicago skyscraper Willis Tower. Now the 92-story skyscraper hotel is the second tallest building in Chicago and the third tallest in the United States. Height to the top of the spire - 423 meters (to the roof - 360).

Each of the three parts of the skyscraper is at the level of an adjacent building to provide visual continuity with the surrounding landscape.

34. Chicago Board of Trade Building.

It was the tallest building in the city from 1930 to 1965. The top of the skyscraper is decorated with a sculpture of the ancient Roman goddess of fertility Ceres. The choice of sculpture was not accidental. The building of the Chicago Board of Trade was the largest grain exchange.

Tallest Art Deco building outside of New York.

35. Prudential Plaza 2 (Two Prudential Plaza).

36. City Opera House (Civic Opera House).

37. Smurfit-Stone Building (Smurfit-Stone Building).

38. Balconies.

39. "Soldier Field" (Soldier Field).

Home of the NFL's Chicago Bears football stadium. The oldest stadium in the NFL.

40. "Wrigley Field" (Wrigley Field).

Home baseball stadium of the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball team.

41. "America's Main Street" - the legendary Highway 66 - begins in Chicago.

Pictured is The Circle Interchange (Spaghetti Bowl) turbine interchange. Every day passes through itself 300 thousand cars.

42.

43. Museum of Science and Industry (The Museum of Science and Industry).

Among the exhibits of the museum are the German submarine U-505, captured during the Second World War, the first diesel passenger train "Pioneer Zephyr", as well as the spacecraft that participated in the Apollo 8 mission, which delivered the first people to orbit the moon.

44. The building of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University (Feinberg School of Medicine).

45. The Chicago metropolitan area (with its various suburbs) is referred to as "Greater Chicago" or "Chicago Country". Chicago itself is informally referred to as the "Second City" and the "Windy City".

46. When we flew over Chicago in a helicopter, our route intersected with the security of US President Barack Obama. In the photo: the American tiltrotor Bell V-22 Osprey, combining the individual advantages of an airplane and a helicopter. This is the only mass-produced tiltrotor in service with the Marine Corps and the US Navy.

For all questions regarding the use of photographs, write to e-mail.

If you still doubt that the Magic Land of Oz exists, then finally all doubts can be discarded. How else to explain the green river that came from nowhere in the center Chicago? Not otherwise than from the Emerald City flows. However, for those who are still used to finding an explanation for any paradoxes, we reveal a secret: in such an unusual way, Americans celebrate one of the funniest holidays of the year - St.Patrick 's Day!

Of course, St. Patrick's Day is an original Irish holiday, the symbol of which is the emerald shamrock, but over the years, the tradition of raising beer glasses to the sound of Irish bagpipes has spread around the world. In some cities they surprise with green beer with bagels, in Chicago they take it in the river. What can you say? Truly "Everyone's Irish on March 17th", as the holiday motto says!

It turns out that the “greening” of the river for Chicagoans is a common thing. For the first time, such a procedure was carried out back in 1962, and, as often happens, had nothing to do with the celebration. One of the plumbers came up with the idea to paint the drain waters of buildings located on the shore when a ban was introduced on the discharge of sewage into the river. The idea pleased the commercial director of the Union of Plumbers Stephen Bailey, and it was decided to surprise the residents of the city by the celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

The authorities keep the "Formula of Success" a secret, but it is known for certain that a special orange dye is used, which, falling into the blue river waters, turns them into a real emerald color. Thousands of tourists come here to look at this miracle, despite the fact that the weather in mid-March is still, as a rule, not conducive to festivities. The main entertainment, of course, is dressing up as leprechauns and all kinds of water activities!

“Ah, Al Capone and the St. Valentine! is a typical Japanese response to an invitation to visit Chicago. Disappointed and disappointed by this state of affairs, Governor Thompson went on a trade mission to Japan in 1984 to enlighten the ignorant Japanese. He invited them and their modest money to invest in the great state of Illinois. Then the mayor of Washington followed suit, coming on a mission of his own to convince his beautiful city that such investments should not be spared. In order to convince the skeptical Japanese to do business with them, both missions involved not only representatives of the state, city, business circles, but also
trade unionists. Together, they assured the Japanese that they would receive them hospitably and that their yen would be treated fairly. “You don't have to worry about anything. This is a friendly invitation." Many Japanese people were really impressed by their sincerely kind attitude and promising offers. Among these were "JAL" and "Nikko". On both occasions, we were asked to host a mission reception at our Nikko Hotel in Osaka. Osaka and Chicago are sister cities and we at JAL serve these two great twin cities. It was a great honor for us that it was we who were approached with such a request, and we gladly agreed.
With two hotel projects already underway on the east and west coasts, I took another look at the US market as a Go board. Now we had two stones in the upper left and upper right star points: in San Francisco and New York. Where to go? An invitation from the Chicagoans came to mind. We would do san-ren-sei (three-star-points-in-a-row). This usually happens on the right side of the board when you play black and choose san ren sei as your opening strategy. In the case of the development of the Nikko hotel chain, this would happen on the upper side of the United States. So what? If we unfold the US board and look at it from the east, then everything will be in order. I went to Chicago and looked at three potential construction sites. Jon Minikes of Jones Lang Wooton was hopeful that we would like the 900 North Michigan site. Hank Perry, an independent developer, once mentioned a park near the Chicago River. The Metropolitan Structural Company would have welcomed any hotel built in their Illinois Center, a giant building project bounded by a lake, a river, a park, and Michigan Avenue.
During an earlier unrealized California Plaza project in downtown Los Angeles, I met Professor Takayama, an architect who lived, taught, and worked in Chicago. It turned out that we were both graduates of Waseda University. He proposed a project in Los Angeles to the construction company "Taisei" - one of the five largest construction companies.
panies in Japan. Taisei asked us to manage the Nikko Hotel there. We gladly agreed.
Before leaving Japan, I had several meetings with the managers from Taisei and was convinced that we could build another hotel there. Then the bad news caught up with me in New York. Something went wrong between the chairman of the Metropolitan Strucchur and a visiting Taisei board member in Chicago. The deal was cancelled. I was amazed. This must have been a misunderstanding caused by cultural differences. But what could I do? Nothing. Accompanied by Takayama, I went to the Met headquarters in Chicago, just to express my deepest regrets to the chairman. For Japanese Go players, the timing of admitting defeat is a serious aesthetic issue. It is very important to know how to lose. The Chairman sincerely tried to alleviate my bitter disappointment by inviting me to visit other venues available in Chicago. I went there with Takayama. One of the proposed places had a lot in common with the Essex House, because it was located near the park and had a wonderful view from there. However, it could be very lonely and cold there during a windy Chicago winter. I hesitated. So one site was gone, but I was still full of hope that in Chicago, somehow and somewhere, we could build a hotel. Then Jon Minikes introduced me to Mr. Arnold Levy of Urban Development in connection with a site at 900 North Michigan. It was a great temptation. Opening the Nikko Hotel on North Michigan, just opposite the Four Seasons, would be a challenge. But with Bloomingdales as its main tenant at the bottom of the building, the Nikko Hotel at the top could easily win.
The situation was changing rapidly. Etna Insurance sold Urban Development to JMB. Levy introduced me to one of the JMB partners. At a dinner at a private club at the Ritz-Carlton, I gave one of my best speeches in favor of Nikko. Levi kindly tried to help me. After a good dinner and pleasant conversation, we parted on friendly terms. When I called Levy that evening, he was very evasive in answering my questions. Obviously, I was not able to convince the JMB company to give up
homage to the defunct Nikko hotels in front of the well-established Four Seasons. I invited Jon Minikes to the Hatsuhana sushi restaurant. Well, Yas, anyway, maybe it was too expensive a project? Jon, maybe I should stay away from the Four Seasons? So you're targeting a Chicago waterfront park? Why not? Osaka is built on the Yodo River.
Jon looked tired and sad. I encouraged him: Would you like to help me? Deal! - And we ordered more sake.
When you lose one corner, there is always one more left to fight. The game isn't over yet. I got more work to do. I called Hank Perry in Denver. Outwardly, Hank Perry looks like John Wayne - this is a huge guy from the Texas cowboys. A Japanese friend of mine introduced Hank to me as one of his best friends. It seems that Hank's circle of friends is as extensive as his native Texas. Wherever we go with him, someone will always come up to him, and they will exchange greetings: “Great!” and "How are you?" My friend's list of friends has grown to alarming proportions. Almost everyone liked him as a person, and everyone liked him too. Hank, can you forget about Chicago? No, Chicago is my city. Aren't you cold here, you Texan, Californian, Hawaiian - or who are you there today? No place is too cold for me if there is money to be made. Hank, you can have LA. Forget Chicago. Are you serious? Yes, very seriously. Okay, but don't forget that we'll be meeting in Los Angeles soon.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Hank took the news like a cowboy. I was now to meet with John Tishman, who had purchased the hotel land from the Oxford Company, a Canadian

developer. Due to its policy of staying out of the hotel industry, Oxford sold the hotel portion of the project to Tishman. For me, this policy turned out to be a great success. I must admit that the greatest fortune that happened to me in the United States, a naive and inexperienced Japanese businessman, was the opportunity to meet John Tishman.
I was already under great impression when I flew in his personal jet to Chicago, but it was even more intense when I argued with him, insisting that the hotel building should be located closer to the river. I explained that in Japan it is a tradition to have a hotel right on the banks of a river. I demanded that he forget about the symmetry in relation to the Quaker Oates headquarters building, which was to be connected to our hotel by a lobby. Symmetry is a French concept, not a Japanese one. After listening carefully to my arguments, he agreed. Then I asked that every room, even the side room, have a bay window from which you can admire the river. Despite the high cost of such a design, I did not concede and achieved my goal. For his part, John insisted that covering the roof to hide equipment such as fans and other mechanisms was a waste of money. I was a little worried about how all this would look against the background of the surrounding tall buildings, but still agreed. Don't think he was stingy, because he wasn't stingy. John, we need to do something about this,” I said. Are you talking about that ugly parking lot on the other side? Yes. The view is of great importance to us. Why don't we donate money to create a park there? he suggested. Great idea, I agreed.
We donated $200,000 to the city. The city commissioned the well-known Japanese architect Tange to design the park. For interior design, we brought in Frank Minges and sent him to Japan. I asked him to visit not only modern hotels in Tokyo, but also two palaces in Kyoto with famous gardens, Katsura and Shugakuin, to come up with a concept that combines Japanese with the spirit of Chicago. As a result, we got a building, hit
very different from the Nikko Hotel in San Francisco. In Chicago, the Nikko Hotel is marbled black, bamboo yellow and green, like a reflection of the park in the river, in contrast to the hazy white, dull pink and deep crimson color of the Nikko Hotel in San Francisco. A heated discussion soon broke out regarding public access to the garden. City officials demanded that the garden be open to the public; the developer, the Oxford Company, agreed with them. I was concerned about security, and so I asked the fundamental question: what is a garden? In Japan, a garden is a private space behind a house where it is customary for the host to receive guests. At one time in England, round parks at the intersections of streets were gardens in the backyards of private mansions. In Rome, the square served as a place for public meetings of citizens, but the gardens remained in private ownership. I argued endlessly. In the end, everyone got tired of listening to me, but I still managed to enclose a small Japanese garden with a fence, as my territory in Go.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the hotel's opening, Mayor Washington gave a short speech thanking us for our contribution to Chicago with a great hotel. He jokingly admitted that he also liked the amount of property taxes we would have to pay each year. It was a beautiful, slightly frosty day in October 1987. The brass band of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir George Salty, played the national anthems of the United States and Japan. I wondered if I would ever hear such a beautiful and touching performance of these national anthems. In the evening we invited our guests to a concert of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in honor of the 75th birthday of Sir George Salty. Sir Salty himself played as part of a piano duo, his first and last appearance in the United States as a pianist. After the concert, we had a grand banquet in Sir Salty's honor. In 1990, we honored Sir Salty again, but this time on the occasion of his retirement. Pavarotti, Kiri Te Kanawa and Nutti sang in Othello. After the performance, everyone came to a festive dinner at the Nikko Hotel. We took special care of Pavarotti, preparing for him a king-size chair,
which was placed in the center of the reception hall. My wife, as the greatest treasure, keeps a photograph from this evening, in which she is depicted next to Pavarotti.
How did Nikko manage to organize such memorable performances by such well-known performers? Simply because Ito Hisashi, our chairman and CEO of the Nikko hotel chain in the United States, spoke to his neighbor's wife one day. They were talking through the garden fence of his residence in London. It turned out that the lady was Mrs. Salty. The two couples then met again on the Orient Express during their holidays. Gradually, these meetings developed into friendly relations, which created the basis for such wonderful and happy holidays. When Ito asked Sir Salty to sing the national anthems for the sake of friendship between peoples, the international maestro closed his eyes for a few moments and opened them to wink in agreement. After all, the world is really small, and we are all harmoniously connected in it, like stones of Go, aren't we?

The Chicago River is not long at all. The total length of the river is approximately 251 km. As a link between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico, the river has fundamentally influenced the development of Chicago.

In the past, the river was of much greater economic importance. Steel mills, lumber warehouses, elevators, tanneries, cattle depots and much more worked on its banks. With the beginning of active industrialization and the growth of the city, problems associated with water quality became more and more noticeable. Sewage was poured into the river, industrial and other wastes were thrown out.

By 1880 it had become horribly polluted. Floods that occurred after heavy rains led to the flooding of territories and treatment systems. The population suffered from constant epidemics. Thousands of inhabitants died every year from diseases such as typhus and cholera associated with water. In some years, more than 5% of the population died from persistent water-borne diseases. This was a factor holding back the growth of the city.

By 1900, one of the landmark engineering challenges of the early 20th century had been accomplished when the Chicago River, originally flowing into Lake Michigan, was reversed and flowed in the opposite direction. This event allowed to solve the problem with water supply and prevent the loss of life.

With the decline in industrial and commercial activities associated with the use of the river system, increased attention has been paid to ecology and aesthetics. Today, the river has become a recreational area with pleasure boats and well-groomed embankments.

Water quality has been steadily improving in recent years, primarily due to more efficient treatment systems. The water, however, is not yet clean enough for swimming. Fish appeared in the river, however, it is not recommended to eat it.

Many of Chicago's famous buildings are located next to the river. In view of this, boat trips are ideal for a general acquaintance with the architecture of the city. There are several popular river routes, most of which start near the Navy Pier or the Michigan Avenue Bridge.

In Chicago itself and its suburbs, there are 45 bridges across the river, some of which are widely known.