The+Hennepin+Canal,+1892-1951

Original Author: Kim Hankins, ENG 340, FL12 Revision Author:
 * The Hennepin Canal, 1892 – 1951 **

The concept of a waterway linking Lake Michigan to the Mississippi was first conceived in the early 1800’s by farmers in the western part of Illinois. Farmers wanted an alternative way of transporting goods and grain other than by wagon. Trains were coming into the picture, however the cost of shipping freight by rail was cost prohibitive. It was thought that access to Chicago and Lake Michigan would allow freight and goods to be shipped more economically and perhaps all the way to the east coast by water. The concept was referred to as the Illinois and Michigan Canal.

As time passed and discussion took place the vision of the canal went through changes. There was a canal system to LaSalle, Illinois. This served mid state farms and towns, but not the western side of the state. The concept changed to become the Illinois and Mississippi Canal. It would link the Illinois River to the Mississippi river and had the backing of several political people of the era including some in Iowa. Funding was still an issue because the State of Illinois would not allow construction using State funding (Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, 3). There were legislatures from Illinois, Iowa and New York who pushed for Government backing for the funding. And in 1868 Ulysses S. Grant from Illinois was elected President of the United States and helped push the progress of the canal.

A survey was done to under the authority of the United States Corps of Engineers and the cost of construction was estimated at approximately $12,500,000.00. In 1881, “four hundred representatives of commercial, city, and farmers associations from seven states met in Davenport, Iowa…”(3). This group was called the “Hennepin Canal Commission” (3). They stressed the importance of the canal at a national level. The committee also believed that such a canal would regulate the fees charged for freight shipped by rail.

Another survey was commissioned in 1882-83. The route of the canal was fixed at a point about 1.75 miles upstream of Hennepin on the Illinois River. However there were three possible points where the canal would join the Mississippi river. After more debate a commission was appointed by Congress in 1886 to study the latest survey. The west portion of the canal was determined and fixed near Rock island, Illinois. The final point was selected for its commercial and “…greater military significance…” (3). Noting the larger population in Rock Island, and the growing river port, it was selected over Fulton or Albany, Illinois. And in 1890 Congress provided $500,000 for five miles of the canals construction.

Although construction had been approved to start, the route of the water supply to the canal had yet to be determined. The Canal needed a water supply since the elevation between the Illinois River and the Mississippi were lower than the interior of the canal. It was decided that the Rock River would be used to supply the water though a feeder canal. When the water from the Rock River reached the Canal, it would split and flow both East and West. The locations being considered for the tapping of the Rock River were Dixon, Illinois and Rock Falls Illinois. The shortest distance, Rock Falls won out as it was believed the cost would be cheaper. On September 19, 1890 construction began on the Illinois and Mississippi Canal. The estimated cost for the canal was approximately $6,925,900.

Due to the delay from initial inception and the start of the project, there had been significant increases in roads and rails though the area of the canals path. Numerous bridges had to be constructed along the way of the canal to accommodate vehicle and rail traffic. The cost of shipping by rail had already begun to decrease as more tracks were laid. Also during the construction of the canal, the Corps of Engineers were widening the locks on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. “With lock chambers twenty to forty feet narrower than the rivers it connected, the canal was obsolete before the Marion made her initial voyage.” (Illinois Department of Natural Resources, 2).

During the construction of the canal, there was a benefit for those along the path of the canal. Many of the local residents were hired to work on the construction of the canal. They were hired to use their own teams of horses or mules to pull the scapers to dig the canal. Later many of the residents used their teams to pull barges though the canal. While some barges were pulled under steam power, many others had to be pulled along by horse or mule teams that were changed along the way. There were also local people hired to be lockmasters and patrolman along the canal. At one time, “…there were 52 houses that lined the canal during the years it was in use.” (A Q-C Century, 2) These houses were for the lockmasters required to assist the barges at the 33 locks along the canal.

The Corps of Engineers also allowed locals and companies to harvest blocks of ice from the canal during the winter. Some of the ice was sold to help fund the annual maintenance costs of the canal (Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, 2). The ice was used to chill food before electricity was available. Grain elevators also were built along the canal to service the local farmers (Illinois Department of Natural Resources, 2). This was one of the original ideas when canal was discussed in the early 1830’s.

A unique process was used in the construction of the canal. The Illinois and Mississippi Canal was the first canal to be built using concrete, on site instead of stone cut facings. This technique reduced the cost by about 50% where it was needed. The need was in the 33 locks, nine aqueducts and other critical structure along the canal (A Q-C Century, 3). The aqueducts are areal waterways crossing creeks and small rivers along the canal’s path. The locks on the Mississippi river are set at each of the roller dams. The dams control the river level and the locks transport the barges. The locks in the canal are completely made of concrete and cover the entire width of the canal. They act as dams for each pool along the way. The use of concrete instead of stone cut facings also served as a training exercise for the engineers that worked on the Panama Canal. “Both the Hennepin Canal and the Panama Canals used concrete lock chambers and both used a feeder canal from a man made lake to water the canals because both needed water to flow uphill.” (Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, 2).

The first boat through the Hennepin canal was the steamer Marion. The account was detailed in the Geneseo, Illinois paper, The Republic. “This important naval event was seen, as to Lock Twenty-four, by half the population of Geneseo, on Wednesday, November 13, 1907. Remember the date, for you’ll be betting on it in the future.” (books.google.com). The news article detailed how it had taken 15 years to finally see this site. It also talked about the huge amounts of harvested goods that farmers could ship at low prices. It also described that without this important low cost means of shipping the northwest could not be developed. The article described in detail what a reality of the original concept the canal had become.

In a report of the Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army, a notation about the Illinois and Mississippi Canal was entered that read, “The main canal was opened to navigation October 24, 1907, but the Milan section has been in operation since April, 1895.” (Report of the Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army, River and Harbor Improvements, 673). The area between Colona, Illinois and the Mississippi River, including Milan and Rock Island was actually finished in the late 1800’s. This provided an early use of the canal in this area than the formal opening and inaugural voyage of the Steamer Marion in November, 1907.

Due to the delays in funding and construction the Illinois and Mississippi Canal was in difficult times from its opening. By the early 1900’s the price of shipping by rail had dropped. Since the canal and its locks had been basically undersized when it was constructed, these also lead to its inability to compete in a rapidly evolving transportation system. It was economically impractical to widen the canal and enlarge the lock system. The commercial use of the canal quickly slowed. By the 1930’s the canal was primarily used for recreational purposes. In 1951 the Corps of Engineers closed the canal to commercial transportation. In the late 1960’s the name of the canal was formally changed to the Hennepin Canal in honor of Father Hennepin. There were campaigns to have the canal turned over to the State of Illinois as a parkway. On August 1, 1970, ownership of the Canal was given to the State of Illinois.

"DNR." //DNR//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2011.<http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/r1/hennpin.htm>. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">"Hennepin Canal Paddling/Fishing Page." //User Home Pages//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://pages.ripco.net/~jwn/hennepin.html>.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Works Cited **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">"Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hennepin_Canal_Parkway_State_Park>.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Kiner, Henry L.. "History of Henry County, Illinois - Henry L. Kiner - Google Books." //Google Books//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://books.google.com/books?id=3HAUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA298&lpg=PA298&dq=Marion,+Hennepin+canal&source=bl&ots=iRLZiRThmm&sig=BzYxxDacLg03ZZff-GE43gjo3lE&hl=en&ei=jxC-TtSdLcaTtweQzeWvBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Marion%2>.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Sage, Lydia. "Hennepin Canal both ahead and behind its time - A Q-C Century - Progress 99." //QCOnline//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://qconline.com/progress99/1canal.shtml>.

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