Lake Calumet
Encyclopedia
Lake Calumet is the largest body of water within the city of Chicago
. Formerly a shallow, postglacial lake
draining into Lake Michigan
, it has been changed beyond recognition by industrial redevelopment and decay. Parts of the lake have been dredge
d, other parts reshaped by landfill
, and the surviving fragment of the lake now, with the rest of the city of Chicago, drains into the Des Plaines River
and the Mississippi River
basin.
The Sierra Club suggests that a possible origin of the Native American name Calumet comes from the term for peace pipe, "Callimich," which was adopted and modified by English settlers.
In 1861, the Lake Calumet region was mapped into Hyde Park Township south of what was then the frontier town of Chicago. As the 19th century approached its end, and because the lake's Calumet River
created shipping opportunities out onto Lake Michigan, the swampy zone was rapidly filled and developed by industry in the 1880s. Hyde Park Township boomed and was annexed into Chicago in 1889. The area remains heavily industrialized today.
The Chicago neighborhood of Pullman
, with its railroad passenger car factories, was sited on the lake's west shore. Steel mills began to line the Calumet River. The Illinois Central railroad was built nearby. In the 1950s, part of the former lakebed was utilized as a right-of-way for a freeway originally named in the lake's honor, the Calumet Expressway
. Another parcel of former wetland, south of the lake, was designated as what is now the Paxton Landfill, the final home for much of the household and industrial solid waste generated within the city of Chicago. Some of the landfilling work was done with steel mill
slag
and other industrial wastes. The presence of hazardous chemicals in much of the fill material created a push to add parts of the Lake Calumet area to the Superfund
list.
In 1996, the Calumet Expressway was renamed the Bishop Ford Freeway
, honoring Chicago religious leader Bishop Louis Henry Ford at the expense of the half-infilled lake.
) on the far south side of Chicago, between 103rd Street and 130th Street. The lake itself is part of the underutilized Port of Chicago
. A lakeside grain elevator
can be seen from the freeway.
South of the lake, the freeway passes the Paxton Landfill, including pipes that collect methane
and other gases generated by the landfill.
The vestigial lake itself officially lies within Chicago's South Deering community area. Cleanup efforts in former landfills areas continue ; see Superfund status subsection below.
, an example of endemic wet prairie
flora
, were ever collected. Due to the profound physical changes that have taken place to the Lake Calumet catchment area, this plant is now believed to be extinct.
Although the Lake Calumet has undergone extensive human alteration over the period from 1880 through 2010, parts of the basin remain a wetland, and the basin has been designated an Important Bird Area of Illinois.
could be collected and the methane filtered for use.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Formerly a shallow, postglacial lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
draining into Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
, it has been changed beyond recognition by industrial redevelopment and decay. Parts of the lake have been dredge
Dredge
Dredging is an excavation activity or operation usually carried out at least partly underwater, in shallow seas or fresh water areas with the purpose of gathering up bottom sediments and disposing of them at a different location...
d, other parts reshaped by landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
, and the surviving fragment of the lake now, with the rest of the city of Chicago, drains into the Des Plaines River
Des Plaines River
The Des Plaines River is a river that flows southward for through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the U.S. Midwest, eventually meeting the Kankakee River west of Channahon to form the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River....
and the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
basin.
The Sierra Club suggests that a possible origin of the Native American name Calumet comes from the term for peace pipe, "Callimich," which was adopted and modified by English settlers.
History
Until the 1800s, Lake Calumet was near the center of an extensive wetland area near the southern tip of Lake Michigan. Like other wetland areas, the Lake Calumet area and its rivers were a center of Native American life and settlement. The Field Museum maintains databases of archeological data on these settlements.In 1861, the Lake Calumet region was mapped into Hyde Park Township south of what was then the frontier town of Chicago. As the 19th century approached its end, and because the lake's Calumet River
Calumet River
The Calumet River refers to a system of heavily industrialized rivers and canals in the region between the neighborhood of South Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, and the city of Gary, Indiana.-Background:...
created shipping opportunities out onto Lake Michigan, the swampy zone was rapidly filled and developed by industry in the 1880s. Hyde Park Township boomed and was annexed into Chicago in 1889. The area remains heavily industrialized today.
The Chicago neighborhood of Pullman
Pullman, Chicago
Pullman, one of Chicago's 77 community areas, is a neighborhood located on the city's South Side. Twelve miles from the Chicago Loop, Pullman is situated adjacent Lake Calumet....
, with its railroad passenger car factories, was sited on the lake's west shore. Steel mills began to line the Calumet River. The Illinois Central railroad was built nearby. In the 1950s, part of the former lakebed was utilized as a right-of-way for a freeway originally named in the lake's honor, the Calumet Expressway
Bishop Ford Freeway
The Bishop Ford Freeway, formerly known as the Calumet Expressway, is a portion of Interstate 94 in northeastern Illinois, south of downtown Chicago. It runs from Interstate 57 south to the intersection with Interstate 80, Interstate 294 and Illinois Route 394...
. Another parcel of former wetland, south of the lake, was designated as what is now the Paxton Landfill, the final home for much of the household and industrial solid waste generated within the city of Chicago. Some of the landfilling work was done with steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
slag
Slag
Slag is a partially vitreous by-product of smelting ore to separate the metal fraction from the unwanted fraction. It can usually be considered to be a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. However, slags can contain metal sulfides and metal atoms in the elemental form...
and other industrial wastes. The presence of hazardous chemicals in much of the fill material created a push to add parts of the Lake Calumet area to the Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
list.
In 1996, the Calumet Expressway was renamed the Bishop Ford Freeway
Bishop Ford Freeway
The Bishop Ford Freeway, formerly known as the Calumet Expressway, is a portion of Interstate 94 in northeastern Illinois, south of downtown Chicago. It runs from Interstate 57 south to the intersection with Interstate 80, Interstate 294 and Illinois Route 394...
, honoring Chicago religious leader Bishop Louis Henry Ford at the expense of the half-infilled lake.
Today
The remains of Lake Calumet lie east of the Bishop Ford Freeway (Interstate 94Interstate 94
Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
) on the far south side of Chicago, between 103rd Street and 130th Street. The lake itself is part of the underutilized Port of Chicago
Port of Chicago
The Port of Chicago consists of several major port facilities within the city of Chicago, Illinois operated by the Illinois International Port District . The central element of the Port District, Calumet Harbor, is maintained by the U.S...
. A lakeside grain elevator
Grain elevator
A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
can be seen from the freeway.
South of the lake, the freeway passes the Paxton Landfill, including pipes that collect methane
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
and other gases generated by the landfill.
The vestigial lake itself officially lies within Chicago's South Deering community area. Cleanup efforts in former landfills areas continue ; see Superfund status subsection below.
Ecology
The wetlands surrounding Lake Calumet were noted for being the only location where specimens of Thismia americanaThismia americana
Thismia americana was a species of flowering plant that was described and published as living in wetlands surrounding Chicago's Lake Calumet in the 1910s. The plant has not been seen since 1916, and the ground where it was observed has since been extensively altered by industrial development. The...
, an example of endemic wet prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
, were ever collected. Due to the profound physical changes that have taken place to the Lake Calumet catchment area, this plant is now believed to be extinct.
Although the Lake Calumet has undergone extensive human alteration over the period from 1880 through 2010, parts of the basin remain a wetland, and the basin has been designated an Important Bird Area of Illinois.
Superfund status
On March 2, 2010, the EPA listed Lake Calumet Cluster, a cluster of sites grouped around Lake Calumet, on the Superfund List. Several local areas within this cluster are hazardous; excavation workers must use masks and self-contained supplies of air or oxygen. Despite these challenges, planners hope to conduct remedial cleanups of less-severely contaminated sites, and capping operations for the more heavily contaminated sites, within the cluster. Landfill gasLandfill gas
Landfill gas is a complex mix of different gases created by the action of microorganisms within a landfill.-Production:Landfill gas production results from chemical reactions and microbes acting upon the waste as the putrescible materials begins to break down in the landfill...
could be collected and the methane filtered for use.
Maps and images
- Placemark for Lake Calumet area (requires Google EarthGoogle EarthGoogle Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
)
External links
- "Calumet Landscape", Chicago's Southeast Side, Northeastern Illinois UniversityNortheastern Illinois UniversityNortheastern Illinois University is a public state university located in Chicago, Illinois. The main campus is located in the community area of North Park with three additional campuses in the metropolitan area. Tracing its founding to 1867, it was first established as a separate branch of a...