"LONG before the Stone Age man was building his mounds in Illinois, long before the Indian roamed the prairie or the French explorers came in their canoes, Chicago's destiny was written in the stars.
"The groundwork of the city's greatness was laid far back in the dawn of geological time, when all the central plain from the Appalachians to the Rocky Mountains was fathoms deep beneath an ancient sea. The limestones of that prehistoric sea bottom, with their veins of zinc and lead, the sandstones and clay, the silt which mellowed into rich alluvial soil, were to become the source of untold wealth.
"The carboniferous age slowly converted the primeval forests into coal. The Illinois coal deposits alone have been estimated at 45,000,000,000 tons — enough to last, at the present rate of consumption, for 750 years, by which time new sources of energy doubtless will have been found.
"It was the great ice sheet, leaving other rich mineral deposits, which gouged out the Great Lakes basin, without which Chicago could not have come into being.
"To the advantages of location must be added the advantages of climate. The Chicago area lies directly in the path of the cyclonic storms which sweep the country, gathering up the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and precipitating it as rain, thus counteracting the effect of arid winds from the Southwest, irrigating the vast corn and wheat belts, and watering the northern forests. Nor could such weather conditions fail to produce a vigorous and energetic race of men and women.
"Chicago, therefore, lies in the very heart of a territory blessed beyond all others in the bounty of its natural resources. From plains and farms, from mines and forests, Chicago draws the livestock, the grain, the minerals, and the timber which, converted into finished products, supply the needs of all the world.
From: Chicago's Accomplishments and Leaders by Glenn A. Bishop and Paul T. Gilbert (1932)
Recommended reading:
Early Chicago (website and book)
Nature's Metropolis by William Cronon
Gifts of the Glaciers
Formation of the Great Lakes
Photo credit: Tech Great Lakes
4 comments:
WOW!
What a difference a week makes!
We just got back from a 10 day trip to Paris and spent the morning catching up on our reading, 'cause we took a break while overseas.
The new layout looks amazing!!!!
And, thanks so much for the special mention of our Marion Mahony Griffin posting!
We'll be sharing some of our Paris pics, along with a little bit of commentary, in upcoming posts; hope you enjoy them.
Congrats on the new look and thanks again for your support.
Jim
Welcome back! You went to PARIS? I am green! Can't wait to see the pics!So glad you like the new look; I've been trying very hard to make the site more reader friendly. And, it is always my pleasure to link to designslinger. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Hi Sharon - thanks for visiting my blog. I lived in Chicago for 7 years and slowly came to appreciate its history.
andrea, viridian61
I used to live almost beside Lake Ontario. I read about the geological history in school and still like that element of geography, with the rocks and what makes them, what changes land masses. :)
Post a Comment