Chicago needed to cross the river. There were a number of criteria that needed to be met:

 

• Chicago's existence was due to its geography. It was a key piece of the superhighway of its day – the link from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. Whatever method used to cross the river could not interfere w/ river traffic.

 

• The city was growing so the solution needed to have greater capacity than the ferries and canoes used initially.

 

• Bridges high enough to allow passage of the masted ships of the day were impractical because Chicago was not much higher (elevation-wise) than the river. High bridges would tower over the city and require steep/long approaches.

 

 

Unless otherwise noted, all material in this presentation ©2010 James S. Phillips