Chicago Bodies of Water
Chicago River
The Chicago River runs through downtown Chicago and is a major feature of the city, especially on St. Patrick's Day when the river is dyed green. The river is 155 mi (250 km) long and has seen its course change from originally flowing into Lake Michigan to not being a tributary of the Illinois and Michigan canal.
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is the second largest lake in the Great Lakes chain. Major centers on the lake include Muskegon, Michigan, Gary, Indiana, Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Chicago, Illinois.
Illinois River
The Illinois river is a tributary of the Mississippi which is fed by Lake Itasca. It is 273 mi (439 km) long and has a drainage basin of 40,000 square miles (104,000 square km). The river was a critical waterway in early times providing a channel for Native Americans and French traders.
