🇺🇸 WEEKLY AMERICAN HERITAGE: Chicago Portage National Historic Site

(Explore the history and landscape of the United States with us as we approach the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution and American Independence. Get out your homeschool atlas and almanac and follow along!)

Illinois is our homeschool state-of-the-week, so why not spend a few minutes today with your students learning about one of Illinois’ most important historic places: Chicago Portage National Historic Site, which commemorates the six-mile overland travel route connecting the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.

“The Chicago Portage, a low and short divide between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River systems, has been described as one of the ‘keys to the continent.’ Following the lead of generations of Native Americans, explorers Marquette and Joliet first crossed the Chicago Portage in 1673. One of the most important travel routes of the mid-continent, the portage was a significant factor in the development of the United States interior.”

During early European exploration, natural waterways were often the easiest route across the North American landscape and places where canoes and trade goods could easily be carried around barriers or across multiple rivers were critically important. Along with the opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1848, the portage became the transportation link that spurred the growth of the City of Chicago.

In recognition of its historic and cultural importance, the Chicago Portage was dedicated a National Historic Site in 1952, making it a unit of the National Park System in non-federal ownership.

It is difficult to imagine how this area must have looked during the time of early interactions between Native Americans and French voyageurs. However, fragments of the past still exist within the heart of the Chicago metropolitan region. Forests, prairies, and marshes of the Forest Preserves of Cook County provide a glimpse of the land, plants, and animals of an earlier time.

Near Harlem Avenue and 47th Street in Lyons, Illinois, the Des Plaines River turns away from Lake Michigan to flow toward the Mississippi River. At this site near the west end of the Chicago Portage, the Forest Preserves of Cook County maintain Portage Woods and Ottawa Trail Woods, which contain approximately 300 acres of forested area. This is the last remnant of that portage route that still appears much as it did when Native Americans and European explorers traveled through it. (nps.gov)

You can find a wealth of additional information about this park’s history, landscape, location(s), and visitor facilities on the website for Chicago Portage National Historic Site from the National Park Service, and also on the park’s page on Wikipedia.

Explore America’s National Parks, National Historical Parks, National Historic Sites, National Monuments, and more via Wikipedia and via the U.S. National Park Service’s website today.

What historical American treasures will you and your students be exploring in your homeschool this Orion Term? 🇺🇸

❡ The great globe itself: This is one of our regular Homeschool Geography posts featuring important natural and historical sites in the United States. Print your own copy of our River Houses American Heritage Calendar and follow along with us, and add your name to our weekly mailing list to get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox all through the year. 🌎

❡ Print this little lesson: Down at the bottom of this post you'll find a special "Print" button that will let you create a neat and easy-to-read copy of this little lesson, and it will even let you edit and delete sections you don't want or need (such as individual images or footnotes). Give it a try today! 🖨

❡ Books in the running brooks: You can always turn to your River Houses atlas and almanac for more information about any of our homeschool states-of-the-week. The almanac has detailed profiles of all the U.S. states and territories, and the endpapers of the atlas are indexes that will show you where all of the individual national and regional maps may be found. 📚

❡ Homeschool calendars: We have a whole collection of free, printable, educational homeschool calendars and planners available on our main River Houses calendar page. They will help you create a light and easy structure for your homeschool year. Give them a try today! 🗓

❡ Support our work: If you enjoy our educational materials, please support us by starting your regular Amazon shopping from our very own homeschool teaching supplies page. When you click through from our page, any purchase you make earns us a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping us to keep going and growing! 🛒

❡ Join us! The aim of the River Houses project is to create a network of friendly local homeschool support groups — local chapters that we call “Houses.” Our first at-large chapter, Headwaters House, is now forming and is open to homeschoolers everywhere. Find out how to become one of our founding members on the Headwaters House membership page. 🏡