The Great Business Boom
The Evolution Of Industry Along The I&M Canal
Hello, everyone, and welcome to another edition of Canal Stories, a series brought to you by the Canal Corridor Association to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Illinois & Michigan Canal and the communities that were shaped by its legacy. Today, we’re shining a spotlight on the titans of industry that transformed the I&M Canal National Heritage Area into a thriving economic hub of innovation and opportunity, as written by Ronald Scott Vasile.
Illinois' industrial prowess began with the I&M Canal. The canal's proximity to a rich bounty of natural resources, including coal, limestone, and sand, led to the development of several new business ventures. Today, industry is still a critical part of the local economy. Petrochemical plants in Lemont and Joliet continue the tradition of heavy industry, and there are numerous cement, sand, and gravel operations at work in the area.
In the nineteenth century, the canal provided waterpower to a number of industries, particularly in Lockport. The water level dropped 40 feet at this point, requiring boats to pass through five locks to reach the next stage of their canal journey. Hiram Norton became one of Will County's richest men when he acquired the leases for the Hydraulic Basin in Lockport, which powered a variety of milling operations. The Norton family's fortunes were tied to the canal, which unfortunately led to their bankruptcy in 1896, as a result of declining use of the canal.
A thriving coal industry developed around LaSalle and Morris in the mid 1850s, but it largely died out by World War II, as more abundant and cheaper sites were developed further south. The St. Peter sandstone found between Ottawa and Utica provided almost pure silica sand, which was used in a variety of industries, including glassmaking. There were many breweries in Joliet and Morris, including the Gebhard Brewery, founded in 1866. Marseilles had a large paper and cardboard industry, which was later taken over by Nabisco, and the Westclox Factory in Peru became one of the largest manufacturers of alarm clocks in the world.
In digging the canal, large quantities of a magnesium-rich limestone called dolomite were exposed. Within a few years, a new industry was born, as dozens of quarries opened in Lemont, Lockport, and Joliet, creating thousands of new jobs. This heavy, durable stone was easily and cheaply transported on the canal, and was used in many buildings throughout the corridor, including the Joliet Penitentiary and the Chicago Water Tower. By about 1900, the local building-stone industry was largely eclipsed when superior Indiana stone came to be favored. Today, the regional stone industry produces crushed stone, which is used in construction and for erosion control along lakes. Quarries still operate in the National Heritage Area at McCook, Romeoville, Joliet, and Lemont.
In August of 1998, the Joliet Iron Works Historic Site opened, telling the story of one of America's most innovative manufacturing plants. Located along a stretch of the I&M Canal, this cultural park is devoted to the history of the iron and steel industries. Originally opened in 1869, the Joliet plant soon added Bessemer converters, used to convert iron into steel. As a major producer of steel rails and barbed wire, the Joliet Iron Works dominated Joliet's economy for many years.
Many local industrial barons played much larger roles in their communities than by just providing jobs. Two German immigrants with backgrounds in engineering, Frederick W. Matthiessen and Edward C. Hegeler, opened a zinc-smelting and refining works in LaSalle in 1858. Matthiessen donated the land for Matthiessen State Park, a popular hiking destination which bears his name. Hegeler bankrolled the Open Court Publishing Company, and another industrialist, Louis Gebhard, donated the land for Gebhard Woods State Park in Morris.
Aptly dubbed "Porkopolis," nineteenth-century Chicago became famous for its slaughterhouses and meatpacking industry. A number of former canal workers labored in meat-packing plants, many located near the I&M Canal along the South Branch of the Chicago River. Working conditions in these plants were horrendous, and Upton Sinclair's novel, The Jungle (1906), exposed the unethical practices and unsanitary conditions that ran rampant in the facilities. The publicity from this acclaimed literary work eventually spurred greater federal regulation of the industry.
The twentieth century sparked new industrial innovations along the canal. World War II transformed the town of Seneca from a sleepy, agricultural hamlet into a vital cog in the war effort. Due in part to its proximity to the Illinois River and several rail lines, Seneca was chosen to manufacture thousands of landing ship transports. These amphibious vehicles were used in many campaigns, including the invasion of Europe (D-Day) in 1944. At the start of the war, the town's population was barely a thousand, but by 1944, the plant employed over 10,000 workers. After the war, the town reverted back its smaller size and more leisurely pace, but its global impact was never forgotten.
That concludes today’s Canal Story. Thank you so much for joining us as we continue our journey through the history of the Illinois & Michigan Canal. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, pass it along to your family and friends, and we’ll see you again very soon.