" The Illinois
and Michigan Canal, with which the main branch of the river is connected,
was so deepened as to draw the water out from the lake, so that--through
this channel emptying into the Illinois River--the water of Lake Michigan
flows into the Gulf of Mexico by means of the Mississippi River. Had it
been later in the season, we might have decided to follow this watercourse
in order to view the fertile Mississippi River Valley, and to enjoy the
beauties of the sunny south.
The largest vessels may be towed into the Chicago River, being supplied
with docks and water-slips and affording a dockage capacity of nearly
forty miles.--Originally named Chacaqua River, (the Indian word for
thunder, after the Indian Thor or Thunder God), it is supposed to have
given the city its name.
At midday we left our anchorage--on which the eye of heaven shone almost
too hot--and undertook our first trip to the Fair Grounds. Seated on deck,
we inhaled the invigorating, fresh breeze sweeping over the lake and
modified by the burning rays of the sun that kissed the brilliant, blue
waters beneath, with his golden face, gilding them with heavenly alchemy.
High ran our anticipations as we were approaching the renowned White City,
to which representatives of all nations have made a pilgrimage.
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