Photo courtesy of http://sahchicagochapter.blogspot.com/2011/10/nov-8th-book-presentation-at-aia.html
The Lost Panoramas: When Chicago Changed its River and the Land Beyond
The Chicago Tribune recently wrote about a fascinating photobook that is available on Amazon about a fascinating event in Chicago history. Back in the 1800s Chicagoans considered their river to be “the stinking river” where garbage and sewage flowed down the river and into Lake Michigan which was the city’s main water source. It was decided then to attempt to reverse the flow of the river and to dump it into the Illinois Michigan canal system. This only worked for a season and then in 1900 William Boldenweck pulled off the Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium when he successfully reversed the course of the river using locks and more water from Lake Michigan.
Photo courtesy of http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2011/12/visualizing-chicago-river-reversal/714/
What does this have to do with a photobook? Well when the project started in 1894, photographers (which were new in those days) decided to take some photos of the process of reversing the river. About 22,000 images to be exact. Apparently according to the article in the Chicago Tribune, most of those images had never been seen, they were put away and subsequently lost. Until one day in Des Plaines, Illinois, in the basement of a Water Reclamation Plant, somebody found a box of negatives.
What does this have to do with a photobook? Well when the project started in 1894, photographers (which were new in those days) decided to take some photos of the process of reversing the river. About 22,000 images to be exact. Apparently according to the article in the Chicago Tribune, most of those images had never been seen, they were put away and subsequently lost. Until one day in Des Plaines, Illinois, in the basement of a Water Reclamation Plant, somebody found a box of negatives.
Photo courtesy of http://www.choosechicago.com/event/The-Lost-Panoramas-When-Chicago-Changed-its-River-and-the-Land-Beyond/18478/
Now, a piece of Chicagoland history is coming to life again and thanks to some intrepid photographers and the advent of photobooks, we present to you The Lost Panoramas: When Chicago Changed its River and the Land Beyond
Now, a piece of Chicagoland history is coming to life again and thanks to some intrepid photographers and the advent of photobooks, we present to you The Lost Panoramas: When Chicago Changed its River and the Land Beyond
There's also a video report about the book from Chicago's WGN.tv
