A backwater of the Des Plaines River at the Chicago Portage National Historic Site. Lyons, Illinois

---

This backwater was cut off from the rest of the Des Plaines River during the construction of the Sanitary and Ship Canal during the 1890s. The canal replaced the earlier Illinois and Michigan Canal as the waterway through the Chicago Portage. The backwater remains much as it was when the first European explorers, Marquette and Jolliet, passed through.

---

Size: 5025px × 3350px
Location: Chicago Portage National Historic Site Lyons Illinois USA
Photo credit: © Todd Bannor / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: afternoon, autumn, chicago, des, duckweed, evening, forest, history, illinois, marsh, nature, plaines, portage, river, scenic, swamp, transportation, waterway, wetland, wild