​St. Lawrence Seaway

​During the late 19th and early 20th century, Chicago maritime commerce faced stiff competition from regional railway shipping and trucking.  When the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, it was hoped that the improved locks linking the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean would revive the Port of Chicago.  Navy Pier was refurbished for the expected traffic from the Seaway.  It was not uncommon during the early 1960s for 250 ships a year to dock at the pier.