- published: 24 Jun 2014
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The Chicago Portage connects the watersheds (BrE: drainage basins) and the navigable waterways of the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. It crosses the continental divide that separates the Great Lakes and Gulf of St. Lawrence watersheds from the Gulf of Mexico watershed.
Near Chicago, the St. Lawrence Seaway divide runs less than a mile from the shores of Lake Michigan, and is at places only 14 feet (4.3 m) higher than the water level in the lake. A breach of the ridge could potentially cause the Great Lakes to flow southwards to the Gulf of Mexico.
The portage was revealed to Europeans in 1673 when the French Canadian explorers, Louis Joliet (Jolliet) and Father Jacques Marquette, were canoeing upstream on the Mississippi River. They were guided to the portage by native Indians and continued along the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers. Near where the Des Plaines was separated from the Chicago River was a swampy area named Mud Lake. Seasonally, this was a shallow waterway or a muddy slough of eight miles. This connected the Des Plaines to the Chicago River, which then flowed into Lake Michigan.
Chicago (i/ʃɪˈkɑːɡoʊ/ or /ʃɪˈkɔːɡoʊ/) is the largest city in the US state of Illinois and the third most populous city in the United States after New York City and Los Angeles. The city has around 2.7 million residents. Its metropolitan area, sometimes called "Chicagoland", is the third largest in the United States, with an estimated 9.8 million people. Chicago is the county seat of Cook County, though a small portion also extends into DuPage County.
Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837, near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. Today, Chicago is listed as an alpha+ global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, and ranks seventh in the world on the 2012 Global Cities Index. The city retains its status as an international hub for finance, industry, telecommunications and infrastructure, with O'Hare International Airport being the second busiest airport in the world in terms of traffic movements. In 2008[update], the city hosted 45.6 million domestic and overseas visitors. Among metropolitan areas, Chicago has the 4th largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the world, ranking just behind Tokyo, New York City, and Los Angeles. Chicago is one of the most important Worldwide Centers of Commerce and trade.