The Village Of Lemont
The 2023 Canal Boat Captain's Award Honorees - Part 3
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. For the next few days, we will be continuing our special week-long series highlighting the seven 2023 Honorees who were recognized at our Boat Captain’s Luncheon in April of this year. These outstanding individuals and organizations are celebrated for contributing to the success of the I&M Canal National Heritage Area, and for furthering the principles on which CCA was founded. Today, we’re turning our attention to our third honoree, the Village of Lemont.
The I&M Canal, the quarries lining the canal, and the Village of Lemont have all withstood the ups and downs of time. The quarrying of limestone and the building of the canal brought workers and industry to this place, and the village was officially established in 1873. Which reminds us…Happy 150th birthday, Lemont!
Lemont Limestone, or Athens Marble, was known far and wide, and was quarried for many Midwest buildings, including the Chicago Water Tower. The I&M Canal transported goods from its opening in 1848 until the larger Sanitary & Ship Canal replaced it here in 1900. The population fell like a rock after the Sanitary & Ship was built. Fast forward to the 1970s.
In 1970, the Village of Lemont purchased their part of the now recreational I&M Canal, and with the signing of the nation’s first Heritage Area in 1984, the community got a boost. Slowly, it was growing again and being revitalized. The quarries were filled with water, the I&M Trail remained, and the community began to value their historic downtown, its small-town feel, and their recreation potential. Plans for redevelopment were moving along, and new businesses were opening in the historic downtown. The 2008 economic downturn stopped the village’s plans for nearly ten years, but with Mayor Egofske’s leadership and his team, starting in 2017, they were back on track with development for both the uptown and the downtown. You can tell the village is serious about something when you look at their committees—the Art & Culture Commission, Downtown Focus Group, Heritage Corridor & Outdoor Recreation Commission, and the Historic Preservation Commission all speak to their goals and commitments.
Downtown buildings are now full, and The Quarries are magnets for fishing and boating. A private adventure park, The Forge, opened next to the canal and the downtown. The village has worked with local organizations and businesses, and has a full calendar of events. They have embraced the local trails and will soon have three locations of I&M Canal Bike Share rental bikes.
We salute the Village of Lemont and their many partners for reinvesting in their natural, cultural, and historic resources, thus revitalizing one of the jewels of the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Area.
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 be sure to tune in tomorrow for the fourth installment of this spotlight series, featuring the Old Joliet Prison Preservation Coalition. We’ll see you again very soon.