Split Rock

Split Rock,located about 2.5 miles west of Utica,IL is a water gap (a pass in a ridge through which a stream flows) created between 1836 and 1842 during construction of the I&M Canal. It was probably the biggest challenge facing William Gooding,Chief Engineer of the canal. Using only primitive black powder,picks, and shovels,workers cut through what was a solid plug of sandstone. The excavation revealed an important geological formation called the "LaSalle Anticline"in which the layers of rock are angled sharply downward due to folding. 
In September of 1851 the "Rock Island and LaSalle Railroad Company" (later to become the Chicago,Rock Island,and Pacific Railroad) began construction of a tunnel (the first R.R. tunnel in Illinois) through the north bluff. In 1882 part of the canal was filled in to make room for a second set of track running parallel to the original track, and part of the bluff was also removed. A third track was added in 1952,for which more of the base of Split Rock was removed. At that time the original track through the tunnel was abandoned. 
Around 1903, another rail line,the "Chicago,Ottawa,and Peoria" built 2 bridges to allow their tracks to cross the canal and the Rock Island tracks. A notch was cut in the east face of the southern outlier,and concrete abutments added to the north bluff to facilitate this. In addition, a beer garden and dance pavilion were built atop the north bluff and stairs added to allow passengers on the C,O,and P easy access to them.

Today, the tunnel remains,the roof black with carbon deposits from countless locomotives. The pavilion is but a memory,crumbling concrete foundations serve as the only reminder of what was once here. The stairs are hidden under tangled tree roots, and the bridges torn down after the C,O, and P went out of business. I make the trek to Split Rock at least once a year, and make the climb to the top of the north bluff. There I sit,reveling in the silence, looking out over the Illinois River Valley and imagining what it must of been like a century and a half ago,thinking about the ghosts of people I never knew,people who lived, worked,played and traveled through this same area I occupy presently. In time I will be a ghost too,and perhaps then I can meet the people who took the canal from a dream to reality.

Crossing The River

When a canal had to cross a waterway such as a river,the engineer had a few options. The usual way was to build an aqueduct to carry the canal over the river. Where the I&M Canal met the DuPage River at Channahon,IL an aqueduct was not possible,due to the fact that the river and canal were almost at the same level. So the solution here was to dam the river to create an almost perfectly still pool of water at the point where the canal was to cross. Locks were then built on both sides of the river,one to lower boats going downstream to river level,and one to lower boats exiting the river to canal level. To enable mules and horses to cross,a floating towpath was constructed. The picture which accompanies my blog shows Lock 7 in the foreground,the DuPage River in the middle and Lock 6 can be seen in the background. The dam was built southeast of the crossing. The floating towpath is long gone,replaced by a walking and bicycling path for modern day people to enjoy.