Explore the Collection

A picture is worth... a thousand words

The waterways in our region determined the location of the city of Chicago and impacted our history. On the eve of statehood in 1818, Illinois moved its northern boundary sixty-one miles north to include the southern tip of Lake Michigan so that one state could control the vital link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system.

Our maritime history links Lake Michigan, the Chicago River, Lake Calumet, as well as beaches, deep tunnels, and pumping stations. It involves many nationalities and ethnicities of canoeists, schoonermen, lumbershovers and recreational boaters.
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From Chicago’s Christmas Tree tradition to naval pilot training off Navy Pier, Chicago’s waterways are a major influence on our area and its productivity. Enjoy browsing our pictorial archives (and those of the Chicago Historical Society and Chicago Yacht Club, as well) and reading our stories. If you have material to share, please contact us at info@ChicagoMaritimeMuseum.org.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.