 |
| Paul Petraitis posted Here's the only copy I've seen of Polycarpus Von Schneidau's daguerreotype of the aftermath of the March 12, 1849 "spring freshet" flood that damaged bridges and dock facilities from Peoria to Chicago...its our town's oldest photograph! Paul Petraitis posted Earliest daguerreotype of Chicago,wreckage in the Chicago River from the spring freshet March 1849, looking NE, photo by Von Schneidau...the original plate is some where in an eastern collection. Lorri Weiskopf Redmon Never heard of a "freshet" Interesting. Thanks. Patrick McBriarty Admin This was the aftermath of a spring thaw and flood where the Des Plaines River over spilled its banks and flowed into Mud Lake and into the South Branch creating a rush of water, ice and debris which piled up against the bridges (pontoon float bridges) that were successively destroyed pushing the mess and boats in the river into downtown with some being flushed out into Lake Michigan. As of course the Chicago River ran into the Lake and was not reversed until 1900. This story was told in my book “Chicago River Bridges” and in the PBS documentary “Chicago Drawbridges.” This is a woodcut from a daguerreotype that was taken on March 12, 1849. It was discovered in December, 1897 in an old vault. John Carl Frederik Polycarpus von Schneidau (1812-1859) is considered Chicago's first photographer (daguerreotypist). |
While reading about Chicago bridges, I read about a flood that washed away several of the bridges. Back then, when the Des Plaines River would flood, the river water would flow across Mud Lake and into the Chicago River. And, of course, back then the Chicago River still flowed through downtown to Lake Michigan. As we are reminded during heavy rains and the flooding of the homes on a peninsula in Des Plaines, the watershed of the Des Plaines River is large enough to easily overflow its banks near Chicago.
When they built the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, in some sections the contractor was paid to dig a new channel for the Des Plaines River. to build a flood control levee along is east side, and then to dig the CS&SC channel.
Update:
When they built the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, in some sections the contractor was paid to dig a new channel for the Des Plaines River. to build a flood control levee along is east side, and then to dig the CS&SC channel.
Update:
 |
| safe_image from a Neil Gate post
The 1849 Calamity on the Chicago River not only wiped-out a river full of vessels but destroyed the city's entire river infrastructure and... there was the loss of life too.
Read about the resilience of Chicago and see an actual Daguerreotype photograph of the disaster.
CLICK TO READ ─► https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/2017/11/calamity-on-chicago-river.html in my Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal™
|
No comments:
Post a Comment