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I & M Canal Research Paper

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I & M Canal Research Paper
The I&M Canal
Could you imagine the city of Chicago being an agricultural place, without the huge towers and buildings there today? The I&M Canal made Chicago the city it is today by creating a greater opportunity for trade. How did the I&M Canal affect people before and after it was built? The I&M Canal attracted many immigrants, and improved imports and exports.
THE BEGINNING
The I&M Canal transformed Chicago. Before the canal was built, Chicago was farmland.
Chicago was more agricultural not industrial.
The I&M Canal was built between 1836 and 1848. The I&M Canal was built to transport goods. It provided a direct water link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. The I&M Canal is 96 miles long, and operated for 85 years. The canals width at the bottom is twenty-eight feet and at the top it is forty feet. The canal is at least four feet deep. It starts in Bridgeport, and ends in LaSalle county. Towns like Ottawa, Channahon, Lockport, Joliet, Lasalle and others were created along the …show more content…
One way was the illnesses spreading around the city, because of contaminated water. In 1885 outbreaks of typhoid, cholera and dysentery and 12% of Chicago residents died.
The I&M Canal was a very expensive project. The total cost of the entire canal was 6.5 million dollars. It was partially paid for by grants, donations, tolls, and canal land sales.
CONCLUSION
The I&M Canal began Chicago's popularity and growth. It created the opportunity to bring more commerce into Illinois. The I&M Canal was very good for the Illinois community. But it did not just help Chicago, it helped other cities in Illinois and and states across the country. The I&M Canal also attracted many workers and visitors from everywhere around the world. Even though the I&M Canal is no longer in use today, we can still enjoy and appreciate the canal era and what it brought to our
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