From its days of industrial domination to modern recreation, the Chicago River has enabled the city to prosper. Chicago’s location at the meeting point between the river and Lake Michigan proved to be one of the major factors that enabled the city’s rise to prominence in the Midwest. Today, the early and continued importance of the river is memorialized by the two blue stripes on Chicago’s flag.
Despite its history, in the 21st century, the river seems more commonly used for recreational activity than commercial. Architectural boat tours, kayaking, canoeing, jogging, biking and the famous dyeing of the river for St. Patrick’s Day are just a few examples of how Chicagoans use the river during different times of the year.
Especially attractive to Chicagoans and tourists alike is the idea of interacting so closely with the iconic river. Like the Willis Tower and other recognizable buildings along its bank, the Chicago River has become a symbol of the city itself.
As students and faculty say farewell to summer, the river still offers opportunities for unique outdoor activities that can be enjoyed even as the days shorten. When the weather is pleasant, many people enjoy boating.
One of those people is DePaul senior Nicole Been. Her family keeps their Sea Ray Sundancer in Burnham Harbor.
The river shows “the beauty of Chicago, and the history,” Been said.
However, Been believes there is still work to be done, particularly with the cleanliness of the water.
“I’d be wary of getting in one of those (canoes) in case it tipped over,” she said.
In Been’s view, taking care of the river is something that benefits the city as a whole.
Faculty members at DePaul agree.
“Rivers connect communities,” James Montgomery, of DePaul’s College of Science & Health, said. Regardless of socioeconomic circumstances, the river is one of the only universal resources that all Chicagoans share, according to Montgomery.
“The river is a good way to build community,” he said.
DePaul sophomore Liz Spencer knows the river as a member of the rowing team, which launches boats from the Weed Street Boathouse.
“I love rowing on the river. The views are beautiful, and it’s such a familiar and comforting place to be every morning. Every time I’m downtown walking west and have to pass over a bridge, I definitely wish I was rowing under it instead,” Spencer said.
Even those without boats can find themselves in one on the river, whether traveling on Chicago’s Water Taxi for a few dollars or as tourists for the day on a water-based tour.
“People want to be on the river now. When I came to Chicago in 1992, no one wanted to be on the river,” Montgomery said, describing a sight different from that of today, where businesspeople, locals and tourists alike can be seen walking the river.
In part, this increase in popularity has come after decades of urban development from the City of Chicago, as construction on the Chicago Riverwalk began in the 1990s. Public investment into the river has created access to a better community resource. As the organization Friends of the Chicago River says, “When the river is clean, healthy and beautiful, we all benefit.”
When Montgomery taught an Explore Chicago class, he always took his students on a canoe trip, which he said many students found to be their favorite part of the class.
Running along the river is a popular activity. DePaul junior and president of the DePaul running club Tommy Piatek has said the club’s runs along the river are “one of the most enjoyable things they do.”
Piatek also said good running routes can be difficult to find in the city. Should the river’s cleanliness become an issue that would deter runners, there would be even fewer options for running routes.
One of Montgomery’s concerns is that boating traffic could present a hazard if the river becomes too crowded.
“You get too many people out there that just don’t observe safety rules, and it’s led to some close encounters,” he said.
“The Chicago River is very busy; there is a lot of boat traffic, so we have to be very careful and cautious when we row,” Spencer said.
Another concern that should be addressed are homeless camps along the river, according to Montgomery. “I don’t know how they’re using the river, if they’re using it to drink, cook or wash their clothes,” he said.
Julia Lippert, a professor in the DePaul School of Public Health, agreed, saying that widespread use of the river in this way could be detrimental. “It’s definitely a threat to their health,” she said.
Montgomery added, “The first Mayor Daley had this vision of making the river fishable and swimmable. It’s fishable to an extent (…) but (the river) is by no means clean enough to swim,” Montgomery said. The cleanliness — and the accompanying odor — have been the most common complaints about the current state of the river.
“I can remember trying to eat lunch by the river and people were laughing. The perception is that it’s so dirty, it will never be cleaned,” Lippert said.
[list type=”styled simple”]
[li]Kayaking: Try Urban Kayaks or Wateriders for a tour on the river, with Wateriders offering a “Ghosts and Gangsters of Hustlertown” night tour perfect for fall. [/li]
[li]Lakefront Trail: This 18-mile trail is accessible from Fullerton Avenue for picture-perfect skyline views. South of Navy Pier, a turn takes walkers along the riverwalk.[/li]
[li]Architecture River Cruise: Wendella Boats holds the title of Chicago’s original architecture tour, but Shoreline Sightseeing and the Chicago Architecture Foundation Boat Tour are also good options.[/li]
[li]Water Taxi: The Chicago Water Taxi, at $8 for an all-day, weekday pass, can be a more cost-effective way to see the sights of Chicago from the river, with unlimited access to its stops.[/li]
[li]River Walk: Explore the main branch of the river on this open walkway that connects to the Lakefront Trail. Enjoy boat watching and people watching from one of the many places to sit, or one of several dining options along the riverwalk.[/li]
[li]Boat Tours: Seadog Cruises offers a speedboat tour and an extreme thrill ride tour from Navy Pier, while Chicago Line Cruises leads a history tour along the main stem of the river.[/li]
[/list]
“The Chicago River is a very polluted, dirty stretch of water. During workouts we will row through an area, and I’ll want to hold my breath because the sewage smell is just that bad (…) when I get splashed from a stroke, I definitely want to take a shower as soon as practice is over. Chicago would benefit greatly from cleaning up the river,” Spencer said.
Still, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has called the river Chicago’s “next recreational frontier.” The organization Friends of the Chicago River calls the river the city’s “liquid asset.”
DePaul junior Mimi DeGaetano believes Lake Michigan — and by extension, the Chicago River — is one of Chicago’s greatest assets. She said, “If we don’t take care of that, what are our other options?”
The Chicago Tribune’s editorial board would agree. Earlier this year, it said, “A world-class city cannot allow the river that runs through it to be polluted with bacteria-laden sewage and trash. Not if it wants visitors to stroll the riverwalk. Not if it wants to create business opportunities and burnish the charm of Chicago as a tourist-friendly city.”
Keeping the river nice for tourists seems especially important after a record year for Chicago tourism, with over 50 million visitors to the city in 2015.
Jennifer Caddick of the Alliance for the Great Lakes sees the transformation for tourist use as a good thing. The “huge increase — in a good way — of recreational (river) use” may also influence more people to take better care of the river and educate themselves on the threats that plague it, according to Caddick.
One of those threats that makes river recreation difficult is flooding. As Caddick explained, “The city of Chicago — being a very old city — has combined sewage and storm water pipes. So when there’s a really big rainstorm, all the rain flowing off the street is going into the sewage pipes as well (…) the sewage plants get overwhelmed.”
Still, as efforts to clean up the river continue, efforts to integrate it into more Chicagoan’s lives also increase. Some visionaries see an opportunity for transportation along the river beyond boats and bridges in the form of aerial gondolas.
In May, two of Chicago’s most prominent visionaries revealed a plan to bring more tourism to the city by way of a $250 million aerial gondola ride project. Soaring 17 stories above the river, it would transport Chicagoans and tourists alike from Millennium Park to Navy Pier, and west to Wolf Point, Crain’s Chicago Business reported.
From tourism to local use, the Chicago River has been a crucial factor to the city’s success, and continues to be an asset for citizens of all backgrounds to enjoy. But if it is to stay that way, the river and the threats it faces must be given the attention they deserve.[list ordered=”1″ type=”styled”]