I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. I remember summer time and going to the museum of Science and Industry, we would go to the beach across the street. You could see the crib in the distance and my grandmother told me about it. Many years later I was in a private boat on Lake Michigan and we decided to sail near the Crib. We got very close and I remember having such an erie feeling looking at it so close after a lifetime of only seeing it from the shore.
@StringerNews1 Used to ride our dirt bike and ATV's around the dirt roads by the industrial parks and rail ways. One of the areas we would stop at was a Nike site. Haven't been back there in years now. Alot of the "back roads" have been blocked off or paved for actual bike trails.
It blows my mind that people didn't just walk away from early Chicago and just decide, way too much work would be needed in order to make that city area habitable.They did so many unreal projects..
It was and still is a cesspool of evil and disgusting people. I wished that other states kept their word and sent their national guard to wipe out Chicago. The country and the world would be a better place.
The lake and rivers made the location a perfect hub for trade. Traveling by boat is much easier and faster than traveling overland. The lake can take you to Canada, all of the other Great Lakes, and up to the St. Lawrence Seaway, then on to the Atlantic Ocean. The river can take you to the Mississippi River and down to the Gulf of Mexico. Those lines of transportation made it well worth the trouble. Native Americans knew that as well. Multiple trails from all directions intersected here for the exact same reason, just on a smaller scale. They weren't very interested in living here though. There was some kind of wild onion growing here that dominated the landscape. They didn't like the smell of it, and didn't live hear because of it. The city is named after that wild onion.
@@Dan.Solo.Chicago The Great Lakes and proximity to the Mississippi River are definitely reasons for Chicago’s importance and growth. However, it was actually the decision to invest in rail lines that made the city what it is today. St. Louis thought rail was temporary and that steamboats would continue to dominate the transportation sector. Chicago, while being much less central geographically in the US than St. Louis, bet big on rail/freight which would ultimately beat out steamboats. Chicago grew and became a huge trade transportation hub while St. Louis fell behind. Once Chicago was established as the central rail hub it was too late for St. Louis to do the same, so it never became the great big city that Chicago is now.
They should preserve at least one of the cribs and tunnels to it. Tourist attraction value and history aside, it would be an object of interest to engineering and architectural students for study.
@@donjuanmacgyverjohnson1190 the Aragon ball room, wow. Saw Lynard Skynard there mid 70's. Who knew about the tunnels. I'd of liked to check them out. Chicago's such an s hole now, doubt I'll ever go back. Great memories though.
I think a few years back one of the cribs was used as a super-secret pop-up restaurant for super-rich foodies with connections, but I might be mistaken, it might have just been a proposed idea
Also, there are tunnels under Lake Ontario. Gypsum tunnels (drywall). I hauled hundreds, maybe thousands of loads of drywall out of the CGC plant (now owned by USG) in the /90’s. There are also other plants up on the Hamilton mountain in Ontario. I spoke with the guys that went down under the lake and they are full of knowledge about the tunnels. Fascinating.
Seattle fixed being on the tide by just filling in the space between buildings and raising the streets up about a floor. The tour of some of the old buildings around the first floors is pretty interesting.
Some of the engineering is mind boggling, I visited Chicago few times, an amazing city. Is good that they are proactive now, not reactivate as in the past.
@@brosefmcman8264 i been to Chicago 5 or 6 times, been all over for weeks at the time, never had any issues. I actually found people there very friendly in comparison to NYNY
There's a Morton salt mine a few miles from my house in grand saline tx. One of the largest salt domes in the world. When you're at the park in town, you can hear and feel the blasts underground
Chicago has always been somewhat hamstrung by the early decision to combine storm and wastewater sewage systems into one. Unlike most major cities, where the sewage system is separate from storm water systems, in Chicago it all goes down one pipe. That means the city has to unnecessarily spend time and resources filtering through rainwater to get the poop out. But once the nation's third-largest city was built that way, what could be done? How many times can you lift a city's buildings up on stilts?
It was the second largest city for a long time. I think Los Angeles annexed a couple suburbs and overtook us that way. Our basements flood easily and often. A lot of people don't even realize that water is mixed with sewage. I grew up next to an expressway and when I was a little kid in the mid 80's the expressway flooded. People were in there with rowboats rescuing truckers who thought they could just plow through the water. People were even swimming in it. Being a kid, of course I wanted too as well, but my parents had to explain why I can't. "Is that why the water's brown?" "Uhhhh, kinda."
The Chicago fire was not the only fire at the time. There were fires all across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan at the exact same time. Did they all spread from one lantern kicked by one cow? L.O.L.
It was the entire world! Seriously google any city in America, they all burned down! Sometimes twice. The city halls and libraries were always burned to the ground. All that paperwork gone... nothing to see here, now back to your regular scheduled TV PROGRAMMING...
It had been a very dry summer with dry warm conditions lasting pretty much up to the time of the fires. In terms of loss of life the one in Pestigo was far worse than the Chicago fire. Thee fires also happened the same time the Earth passes through the debris that follows the same orbital path as Halley's Comet. There is some thought that the fires resulted from meteors that struck while still hot enough to cause fires. The fires in Wisconsin and Lower Michigan along with the Chicago fire all pretty much started at the same time.
My understanding was that single fires were common occurrences in a time when everything was made of wood. What was significant on the day was the combination of weather conditions that caused these fires to spread and become major events throughout these states. The ongoing drought, the high temperatures, and the winds. The Chicago fire is most remembered by history because of the size of the city.
You didn’t explain what or the intended purpose of a water crib is. Basically all you say is, “they started digging off shore under Lake Michigan. You didn’t explain how they are used to protect water intakes or how they transport water.
Most often the crib as stated were filled with rocks, it would filter out most large debris, only allowing water or small debris with the water to get through. It was the 1st process to not let the waterway get clogged. Basically it was a large strainer for the bigger pieces floating in the river and not get into the main waterway flow of the system. I would speculate that they used gravity fed water paths.
When my Grandfather was growing up in the early 1900’s near Division and Ashland, none of the buildings had plumbing. Everyone on their block had to share community toilets. I wish I knew more about this. I’m so curious about the logistics of how that all worked out. It’s unthinkable to us today, how whole neighborhoods could function under those conditions.
Please revisit what happened in Port Huron (Fort Gratiot/Burchville)when they were building the lake Huron water plant(6 miles out in lake Huron approximately 230 ft deep tunnel). There was an explosion caused by a spark from the drill bit, 22 men died when the methane gas exploded.
It will be really sad if the remaining Cribs are destroyed. They are a real piece of history, and native Chicagoans who care about their city should do everything they can to preserve them. Maybe make them into museums or something
I was born and grew up in Chicagoland. Huge tunnels, redirected river flows, raised city blocks, the Deep Tunnel of the 1980s, routine temporary dikes...and above all a profusion of safe drinking water...I took it all for granted, I thought those prodigious achievements were common everywhere. I moved to California in 1990 and found exactly how precious water is and how many places are ridiculously behind the times in terms of clean water.
You describe the cribs and tell stories about them but you weren't clear on what their purpose is/was. Did/do they bring "fresh" water from the lake away from polluted shores?
He missed an important point about the resiviors. They're not digging them out. They're using areas of existing rock quarries. Another fact, when the city stopped using the Cribs, to draw water from two miles off shore. The quality of the water went down, especially during the summer. The water isn't as cold and often had an allege smell to it. This is due to taking the water from shallow lake waters. In an area of the east side of Downtown, there are actually 4 sub levels. 3 are accessible by the public. The 4th level is off limits to the public. Finally, parts of Downtown Chicago, is actually built over an actual freight and passenger train rail yard. In fact, the Millennial park and its' underground parking garage, are built over one of the rail yards under Chicago.
I worked across the street from Union station and I always figured they built the trains under the buildings. You go outside my old office and look down you can see the tracks. That was a cool fact maybe you should make videos too lol
@@ImSwisherSweeter Actually, they built the buildings over the tracks. I don't have a face for video, or even a voice for radio. People tell me that I am scary looking and my voice makes people uncomfortable.
@@0fficialdregs I rode the Metra train out of Union Station, many times as a kid and young teen. I always enjoyed those rides. I think it was those trips, that really sparked my interest in Chicago's underground city.
@@lennychorn147 what spark mind was the History Channel episode about man made mistake and talking about when the barge hit one of the pillars under a drawbridge that flooded the tunnels under the chicago river
I grew up about an hour north of Chicago. I was aware of some of what you covered, but a lot I'd never heard of. That was a great video, thanks so much, I really enjoyed that.
Right!!! I was thinking the same thing. Saw the big "quarry" as I knew them as a kid. Didn't know they were going to be reservoirs for the water works. Some really interesting stuff.
Fun fact: the number of dead counted in the chicago fire is not accurate. They have it in the books as 300 people dying, but these were only the people who had a telephone line because that’s how they knew who lived there. Whoever didn’t have a phone, which was the great majority at the time since it was a luxury only the rich could afford, was not counted. The number is supposed to be over 1,000. At least that’s what my Chicago history professor told us.
This is really funny; I was just riding the blue line where they’re doing repairs right now, and as we were going down the opposite side of the track I was wondering “how many unused tunnels are around here?”. Had the same thought when I was walking through the decommissioned Monroe station.
I've always wondered about that to. Like how many more trian tracks and services tunnels are there. Remember in the Ninja Turtles movies when they found an old train station to live in?
If you ever get the chance, get on the front car of the Blueline. There's a seat next to the driver's booth. It's the only real way to get a good look at the tunnels. You can see tracks branching off down decommissioned tunnels. There's one main one that's well-lit going north before the train emerges for the stop at North and Damen. There are plenty of train lines that were built, like so many other things, for the Chicago World Fair. Especially on the west side. I think they were closed around when the expressways were built.
The dating of such sprawl or urbanization is baffling to me.. when you hear late 1800s you always think of the wild west, but to see how humanity grappled with city development in this size at the time is insane. I need to learn more about Chicago.
In the recent past Chicago was threatening to sue the cities in SE Wisconsin for its water quality problems. The shore currents in Lake Michign circle counterclockwise. In reality the source of Chicagos water problem was the geese concregrating on Chicago's beaches.
I used to live In Melvindale in Detroit and every once in a while we could feel the shaking from them blasting below us in the salt mines! Thing is enormous and runs under most of Detroit!
The water tower looked huge in the old picture from the ground and then they showed it from the air around all the modern skyscrapers and it looked like Lincoln logs
Something I have never understood. If chicago residents were getting typhoid and cholera didn't the entire population down river from chicago then get typhoid and cholera after the river changed direction? It is left out of all accounts.
I know you meant to use the word "simultaneously" not "unanimously" when talking about using the screw jacks. Lol :) But, you did a great job on this video! I didn't know the place was raised.
@@Mikesonbikes not really nitpicking, it’s nitpicking where someone has to correct there from their or they’re. While listening those spellings mean nothing but simultaneously from unanimously means completely different things.
The whole, Raising of Chicago, is such an interesting topic. I used to work at a hotel, I would love it when I need filler chat and Seattle or Chicago would come up. Because you can just string the two incidents together. Duluth, Mn has an interesting tunnel system.
I lived for 19 years in Chicago before moving to Bellingham WASHINGTON. I lived at the Lawson House YMCA at 30 West Chicago Avenue. I learned about Mrs O'Leary and her cow, which was blamed for the Chicago Fire.
My dad did something similar when 1 corner of our house when I was a kid, had sagged down a bit. He used about 5 car jacks to get it back to the same height as the rest of the house. Then he fixed the foundation, house etc then removed the jacks. Fixed. I never knew you could do that
I was in the USCG from 2000-2004 and I actually went to all 4 remaining cribs and went in the 2 active ones. Plus been to the lighthouse as well. I have also travelled down all of the Cal Sag and CSSC, via boat. Appears I only been on half of the Chicago RIver, which is fine, at the time had alot of junk in it which could cause boat issues. Hopefully they get it all cleaned up so everyone can travel on it and enjoy seeing Chicago from all of the river.
I'm never sure of the native language of the speaker with this channel. I know Europeans with mastery of the English language are heavily involved with these projects. Good work.
Well, The History Guy is pretty well known. And these days Bright Sun Films is effectively a history channel, and Jake is Canadian I think. Aside from Simon Whistler, who were you thinking of as far as "Europeans with a mastery of the English Language"? I would say that The History Guy is an American with a mastery of the English language too (at least as far as history TH-camrs go).
It's not so much the language or the mispronunciations that are jarring, its the cadence (rhythms) of his voice. He alternates between 'really into this' and 'cold reading from a script', and his stops and pauses because of it are a bit odd. He hasn't quite found his 'groove/style' of narrating. If I had to guess, I'd say that someone else writes the script and then they just record a cold read and run with it, rather than doing a run through/rehearsal first. A for effort, though.
As a life long Chicagoian, thank you for your efforts in showing how the "work ethic" of Chicago really is. Yes, we have our share of issues, as does any big city, yet, Chicago really is and, always has been. It truly, deep down is a "can-do" city. New York & L.A. residents have their own 'attitudes' yet, in Chicago, we truly have an attitude of mid-western sensibility. We welcome anybody and everybody, without contention if you are truly ready to roll your sleeves up and - help us get "things done". Perpetuating our reputation of being the city of "big sholders".
I got to see Smashing Pumpkins play at the United Center a few years ago, and when WPC sang that line, the arena went berserk with applause. It was awesome to see and hear.
@@lloydster9000 sounds epic! I saw them in high school at a small club in Toledo right before they literally blew up on MTV. A friend made me go with her so glad she did it was the only time I saw them live. Been a fan since though!
Invention and Technology Magazine (From American Heritage Society) had a feature article on the Chicago sewer system from the 19th century. What Chicago was able to accomplish was and is simply amazing
The reverse flow does still impact suburbs of Chicago. My parents had a home in Berwyn and if we had heavy rainfall their basement would flood until Chicago would open the locks.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. People can get sick when they swallow food or water contaminated with cholera bacteria. The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe and life-threatening.
Another fascinating piece...thank you...also, a new word has entered our Socash Vocabulary...EQUIPTED'...keeps us listening very carefully!...well Done, Ryan!...dgp/uk
I love these documentaries. I'm from Chicago and though I live abroad, damn do I love Chicago...just not Beetlejuice Nor anyone else running...sorry ruining the city. Should be a felony life sentence for what is happening there. Still one of the most beautiful cities in the world. This and NYC I love most in the USA.
You state that up until the 1990s the cribs were manned. I used to work with a woman whose husband would go out there for a week at a time to work in them. He retired around 2015, so I think that assertion that it ended in the 90s needs to be revisited.
All I know about Chicago's water project is the waste water treatment is world class. Many cities around the world will come to Chicago to study as the model for other cities.
I was a builder mover for 15 years and they probably had some cracks inside that happens . You would have to dig under it to fit your beams n cribbing then you put your main beams in first then your cross beams and put cut blocks on the cross beams with shim and pump up a little to see how it’s raising n is sured up and you can start . We never did buildings like that would have to be a custom job
The chicago fire happened the same day and time as a bigger fire in michigans west side and smaller in Wisconsin. There were eyewitnesses claiming they saw fire coming from the sky. A new thought was maybe an air burst I over lake michigan cuased the fires.
It’s sad they don’t maintain those cribs. They are a very cool piece of history and hard work and it’s sad to see them rot away and eventually destroyed. I love going up close to them on the boat.
@@ITSHISTORY *People learn from your videos,* you have got to stop bowing to expedience and picking arbitrary meaning-adjacent words out of expedience-i.e., _unanimously_ does not mean _simultaneously,_
Gee, it would have been FAR CHEAPER/EASIER to have just commandeered the 1st floor of every building for piping space and building an additional floor on the top of the building to replace the lost 1st floor.
Seattle kinda did that? The city planning only allowed new buildings after the fire to have a temporary first floor and a Second floor main entrance, or something like that.
I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. I remember summer time and going to the museum of Science and Industry, we would go to the beach across the street. You could see the crib in the distance and my grandmother told me about it. Many years later I was in a private boat on Lake Michigan and we decided to sail near the Crib. We got very close and I remember having such an erie feeling looking at it so close after a lifetime of only seeing it from the shore.
35 st beach
@@paulsolomon7675 is it on 35th? I'd love to see it, didn't even know these existed till today.
Hello from the East Side!
I lived on 63th and Hamilton and went to O'Toole school in the sixties when I was a kid ☮️♥️🌞✌️🎆💠😀👉👍
@StringerNews1 Used to ride our dirt bike and ATV's around the dirt roads by the industrial parks and rail ways. One of the areas we would stop at was a Nike site. Haven't been back there in years now.
Alot of the "back roads" have been blocked off or paved for actual bike trails.
It blows my mind that people didn't just walk away from early Chicago and just decide, way too much work would be needed in order to make that city area habitable.They did so many unreal projects..
Tartaria Melbourne utube
It was and still is a cesspool of evil and disgusting people. I wished that other states kept their word and sent their national guard to wipe out Chicago. The country and the world would be a better place.
The lake and rivers made the location a perfect hub for trade. Traveling by boat is much easier and faster than traveling overland. The lake can take you to Canada, all of the other Great Lakes, and up to the St. Lawrence Seaway, then on to the Atlantic Ocean. The river can take you to the Mississippi River and down to the Gulf of Mexico. Those lines of transportation made it well worth the trouble. Native Americans knew that as well. Multiple trails from all directions intersected here for the exact same reason, just on a smaller scale. They weren't very interested in living here though. There was some kind of wild onion growing here that dominated the landscape. They didn't like the smell of it, and didn't live hear because of it. The city is named after that wild onion.
@@Dan.Solo.Chicago The Great Lakes and proximity to the Mississippi River are definitely reasons for Chicago’s importance and growth. However, it was actually the decision to invest in rail lines that made the city what it is today. St. Louis thought rail was temporary and that steamboats would continue to dominate the transportation sector. Chicago, while being much less central geographically in the US than St. Louis, bet big on rail/freight which would ultimately beat out steamboats. Chicago grew and became a huge trade transportation hub while St. Louis fell behind. Once Chicago was established as the central rail hub it was too late for St. Louis to do the same, so it never became the great big city that Chicago is now.
Ikr? That's what i would say it i were a Bears fan!!
They should preserve at least one of the cribs and tunnels to it. Tourist attraction value and history aside, it would be an object of interest to engineering and architectural students for study.
The aragon ballroom has a tunnel that connects to the rivera theater and local bars today is about 2 miles with multiple entrances some are seald.
@@donjuanmacgyverjohnson1190 the Aragon ball room, wow. Saw Lynard Skynard there mid 70's. Who knew about the tunnels. I'd of liked to check them out. Chicago's such an s hole now, doubt I'll ever go back. Great memories though.
@@knighttuttrupriprock9733 Chicago is not a shithole for tourists only it’s residents.
@@knighttuttrupriprock9733 we don't want you back with that attitude
I think a few years back one of the cribs was used as a super-secret pop-up restaurant for super-rich foodies with connections, but I might be mistaken, it might have just been a proposed idea
Also, there are tunnels under Lake Ontario. Gypsum tunnels (drywall). I hauled hundreds, maybe thousands of loads of drywall out of the CGC plant (now owned by USG) in the /90’s. There are also other plants up on the Hamilton mountain in Ontario. I spoke with the guys that went down under the lake and they are full of knowledge about the tunnels. Fascinating.
Thank you for disposing of the film grain overlay. Much appreciated and makes the vintage photos pop better. 👏
Only humans say, "screw it instead of finding a new spot, let's spend 50 years lifting buildings and messing with the water table."
Ala New Orleans...
Seattle fixed being on the tide by just filling in the space between buildings and raising the streets up about a floor. The tour of some of the old buildings around the first floors is pretty interesting.
i pray New Orleans have the same mindset but no
Well, they likely realized that they couldn't convince everybody to move to another spot, so they were left little choice.
great channel. Reminds me of the history channel before they went stupid with aliens
Amen. Don't forget Sasquatch.
And "Fantasy Island" -Oak Island. Finally found a button after 12 years!
I miss the good oll days
Ha ha. Truth be told
And pawn stars.
Some of the engineering is mind boggling, I visited Chicago few times, an amazing city. Is good that they are proactive now, not reactivate as in the past.
Your chances of surviving a trip to Chicago are 43% I guess that is proactive population control? 🤷♂️
@@brosefmcman8264 i been to Chicago 5 or 6 times, been all over for weeks at the time, never had any issues. I actually found people there very friendly in comparison to NYNY
I live in Chicago and I took a class about chicago history in college but these tunnels were not mentioned in class. Very interesting. Thank you!
This was very interesting. You should also look into the salt mines below Detroit and lake erie
I agree I live in the Detroit area and visited the salt mines back in the 1980’s it was pretty interesting
Such a cool topic, good recommendation
Omg those salt mines are massive!!
There's a Morton salt mine a few miles from my house in grand saline tx. One of the largest salt domes in the world. When you're at the park in town, you can hear and feel the blasts underground
Aren't most of those flooded?
Chicago has always been somewhat hamstrung by the early decision to combine storm and wastewater sewage systems into one. Unlike most major cities, where the sewage system is separate from storm water systems, in Chicago it all goes down one pipe. That means the city has to unnecessarily spend time and resources filtering through rainwater to get the poop out. But once the nation's third-largest city was built that way, what could be done? How many times can you lift a city's buildings up on stilts?
It was the second largest city for a long time. I think Los Angeles annexed a couple suburbs and overtook us that way.
Our basements flood easily and often. A lot of people don't even realize that water is mixed with sewage. I grew up next to an expressway and when I was a little kid in the mid 80's the expressway flooded. People were in there with rowboats rescuing truckers who thought they could just plow through the water. People were even swimming in it. Being a kid, of course I wanted too as well, but my parents had to explain why I can't. "Is that why the water's brown?" "Uhhhh, kinda."
I love the stereograms! They add an extra dimension to the video!
The Chicago fire was not the only fire at the time. There were fires all across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan at the exact same time. Did they all spread from one lantern kicked by one cow? L.O.L.
Easy to blame a cow, it couldn't say it didn't do it
it was obviously planned, lets not be naive.
It was the entire world! Seriously google any city in America, they all burned down! Sometimes twice. The city halls and libraries were always burned to the ground. All that paperwork gone... nothing to see here, now back to your regular scheduled TV PROGRAMMING...
It had been a very dry summer with dry warm conditions lasting pretty much up to the time of the fires. In terms of loss of life the one in Pestigo was far worse than the Chicago fire. Thee fires also happened the same time the Earth passes through the debris that follows the same orbital path as Halley's Comet. There is some thought that the fires resulted from meteors that struck while still hot enough to cause fires. The fires in Wisconsin and Lower Michigan along with the Chicago fire all pretty much started at the same time.
My understanding was that single fires were common occurrences in a time when everything was made of wood. What was significant on the day was the combination of weather conditions that caused these fires to spread and become major events throughout these states. The ongoing drought, the high temperatures, and the winds. The Chicago fire is most remembered by history because of the size of the city.
You didn’t explain what or the intended purpose of a water crib is. Basically all you say is, “they started digging off shore under Lake Michigan. You didn’t explain how they are used to protect water intakes or how they transport water.
Thanks for sharing this helpful information .✌️🤗🌻
Most often the crib as stated were filled with rocks, it would filter out most large debris, only allowing water or small debris with the water to get through. It was the 1st process to not let the waterway get clogged.
Basically it was a large strainer for the bigger pieces floating in the river and not get into the main waterway flow of the system.
I would speculate that they used gravity fed water paths.
The cribs and tunnels bring water to the the Jardine and South water treatment plants.
He explained exactly what a water crip is qt about the 5:00 mark.
@@DARKSEID007 probably to keep dead bodies from clogging the lines
When my Grandfather was growing up in the early 1900’s near Division and Ashland, none of the buildings had plumbing. Everyone on their block had to share community toilets. I wish I knew more about this. I’m so curious about the logistics of how that all worked out. It’s unthinkable to us today, how whole neighborhoods could function under those conditions.
Bath houses
liar
@@piggyporkerboo About what?
As a Chicagoan, I new half of this stuff and this video explains alot more....people still get flooded basements from time to time...
Please revisit what happened in Port Huron (Fort Gratiot/Burchville)when they were building the lake Huron water plant(6 miles out in lake Huron approximately 230 ft deep tunnel). There was an explosion caused by a spark from the drill bit, 22 men died when the methane gas exploded.
It will be really sad if the remaining Cribs are destroyed. They are a real piece of history, and native Chicagoans who care about their city should do everything they can to preserve them. Maybe make them into museums or something
Its is sad but unfortunately Chicago has been taken from its people. The whole city and surrounding suburbs have no power without war.
I was born and grew up in Chicagoland. Huge tunnels, redirected river flows, raised city blocks, the Deep Tunnel of the 1980s, routine temporary dikes...and above all a profusion of safe drinking water...I took it all for granted, I thought those prodigious achievements were common everywhere.
I moved to California in 1990 and found exactly how precious water is and how many places are ridiculously behind the times in terms of clean water.
I have canoed on the Des Plaines and on Salt Creek. Beautiful, except by the Berland Paint factory.
I worked near a Deep Tunnel worksite. The haulaway material was truly epic.
The water projects in California rival Chicago's.
Thank you for holding on the stereoscopic pictures. It was great to enjoy their simulated 3D 💜
You describe the cribs and tell stories about them but you weren't clear on what their purpose is/was. Did/do they bring "fresh" water from the lake away from polluted shores?
He missed an important point about the resiviors. They're not digging them out. They're using areas of existing rock quarries.
Another fact, when the city stopped using the Cribs, to draw water from two miles off shore. The quality of the water went down, especially during the summer. The water isn't as cold and often had an allege smell to it. This is due to taking the water from shallow lake waters.
In an area of the east side of Downtown, there are actually 4 sub levels. 3 are accessible by the public. The 4th level is off limits to the public.
Finally, parts of Downtown Chicago, is actually built over an actual freight and passenger train rail yard.
In fact, the Millennial park and its' underground parking garage, are built over one of the rail yards under Chicago.
I worked across the street from Union station and I always figured they built the trains under the buildings. You go outside my old office and look down you can see the tracks. That was a cool fact maybe you should make videos too lol
@@ImSwisherSweeter Actually, they built the buildings over the tracks.
I don't have a face for video, or even a voice for radio. People tell me that I am scary looking and my voice makes people uncomfortable.
my family and i used to commute on the METRA that goes under that extra park which was owned by METRA's parent company, the Illinois central railroad
@@0fficialdregs I rode the Metra train out of Union Station, many times as a kid and young teen. I always enjoyed those rides. I think it was those trips, that really sparked my interest in Chicago's underground city.
@@lennychorn147 what spark mind was the History Channel episode about man made mistake and talking about when the barge hit one of the pillars under a drawbridge that flooded the tunnels under the chicago river
I grew up about an hour north of Chicago. I was aware of some of what you covered, but a lot I'd never heard of. That was a great video, thanks so much, I really enjoyed that.
Right!!! I was thinking the same thing. Saw the big "quarry" as I knew them as a kid. Didn't know they were going to be reservoirs for the water works. Some really interesting stuff.
@@geyserink where in Illinois did you grow up?
The Ferris Buhler north suburbs?
Misspelled Buehler i think.
Another amazing video on a super interesting topic!
AWESOME BRO ! WELL DONE.....AS A LIFE TIME CHICAGOAN I AM INPRESSED WITH THIS VIDEO
“Turning the screws unanimously”? Maybe, but ‘simultaneously’ was the word you were looking for....
Lmfao
Hey ya Chooch didn't Craig beat you to that punch? guh
Make your own video and use any words you want
I was thinking of shoring, and they were probably screw jacks. Just my guess.
Think in context they both mean all together
Fun fact: the number of dead counted in the chicago fire is not accurate. They have it in the books as 300 people dying, but these were only the people who had a telephone line because that’s how they knew who lived there. Whoever didn’t have a phone, which was the great majority at the time since it was a luxury only the rich could afford, was not counted. The number is supposed to be over 1,000. At least that’s what my Chicago history professor told us.
This is really funny; I was just riding the blue line where they’re doing repairs right now, and as we were going down the opposite side of the track I was wondering “how many unused tunnels are around here?”. Had the same thought when I was walking through the decommissioned Monroe station.
I've always wondered about that to. Like how many more trian tracks and services tunnels are there. Remember in the Ninja Turtles movies when they found an old train station to live in?
I wanna explore them hehe
If you ever get the chance, get on the front car of the Blueline. There's a seat next to the driver's booth. It's the only real way to get a good look at the tunnels. You can see tracks branching off down decommissioned tunnels. There's one main one that's well-lit going north before the train emerges for the stop at North and Damen. There are plenty of train lines that were built, like so many other things, for the Chicago World Fair. Especially on the west side. I think they were closed around when the expressways were built.
Interesting video. I prefer more ads. That's the only reason why I watch TH-cam.
Excellent video. lived in chicago in marina city, looking out onto the cribs each day. hopefully not to be demolished yet
20:49, that reservoir is visible from the interstate in northern indiana and it is MASSIVE.
The dating of such sprawl or urbanization is baffling to me.. when you hear late 1800s you always think of the wild west, but to see how humanity grappled with city development in this size at the time is insane. I need to learn more about Chicago.
In the recent past Chicago was threatening to sue the cities in SE Wisconsin for its water quality problems. The shore currents in Lake Michign circle counterclockwise. In reality the source of Chicagos water problem was the geese concregrating on Chicago's beaches.
Those d**n geese are a nuisance on so many levels.
@@benbaker2965 lrmme please y iuuu
I used to live In Melvindale in Detroit and every once in a while we could feel the shaking from them blasting below us in the salt mines! Thing is enormous and runs under most of Detroit!
The water tower looked huge in the old picture from the ground and then they showed it from the air around all the modern skyscrapers and it looked like Lincoln logs
The actual lake itself caught fire because of toxic sewerage
These freight tunnels should be used today! They could move supplies so fast through these residential ares.
With automated electric mini railcars
There is a house in one of the cribs now that is privately owned. So there is hope for them to stick around for awhile yet.
Or was, Now i cant find any info other than save the cribs. I swore i recently saw that someone had built a house on 4 mile.
Went there as part of my job. No house as of a few years ago.
quite informative, thanks... :)
First video I watched and subscribed five minutes in. Great video and am excited to see what other videos you have.
Amazing Facts about my City!!! Thanks for your great work!!!
The engineering is outstanding. Great video.
Something I have never understood. If chicago residents were getting typhoid and cholera didn't the entire population down river from chicago then get typhoid and cholera after the river changed direction? It is left out of all accounts.
They probably did, being a less populated area reports might not have been more accurately than taken or just brushed off as something else.
I know you meant to use the word "simultaneously" not "unanimously" when talking about using the screw jacks. Lol :)
But, you did a great job on this video! I didn't know the place was raised.
Nice, you're really good at thinly disguiding nitpicking as a compliment
@@Mikesonbikes not really nitpicking, it’s nitpicking where someone has to correct there from their or they’re. While listening those spellings mean nothing but simultaneously from unanimously means completely different things.
@@Mikesonbikes *disguising
Many homes in the south side did not get raised. The street is up to the second floor.
Technically & HONESTLY , "Unanimously" Is TRUE Bcz They All CHOSE To Screw Those jacks Simultaneously. = merely Objectively FYI!!!
The whole, Raising of Chicago, is such an interesting topic. I used to work at a hotel, I would love it when I need filler chat and Seattle or Chicago would come up. Because you can just string the two incidents together. Duluth, Mn has an interesting tunnel system.
agreed
Great stuff, Ryan. Really interesting. Thanks.
I've been trying to figure out what those structures off the coast are for 5 years.
Thank you for finally sating my curiosity.
I lived for 19 years in Chicago before moving to Bellingham WASHINGTON. I lived at the Lawson House YMCA at 30 West Chicago Avenue. I learned about Mrs O'Leary and her cow, which was blamed for the Chicago Fire.
Proud to be from Chicago!!!
My dad did something similar when 1 corner of our house when I was a kid, had sagged down a bit. He used about 5 car jacks to get it back to the same height as the rest of the house. Then he fixed the foundation, house etc then removed the jacks. Fixed. I never knew you could do that
I was in the USCG from 2000-2004 and I actually went to all 4 remaining cribs and went in the 2 active ones. Plus been to the lighthouse as well. I have also travelled down all of the Cal Sag and CSSC, via boat. Appears I only been on half of the Chicago RIver, which is fine, at the time had alot of junk in it which could cause boat issues. Hopefully they get it all cleaned up so everyone can travel on it and enjoy seeing Chicago from all of the river.
Great video! Learned a lot about my city that i’ve never heard before!
very cool video
I'm never sure of the native language of the speaker with this channel. I know Europeans with mastery of the English language are heavily involved with these projects. Good work.
Yeah he sounds totally American but then there are some funny mistakes. Can't pin it either
Well, The History Guy is pretty well known. And these days Bright Sun Films is effectively a history channel, and Jake is Canadian I think. Aside from Simon Whistler, who were you thinking of as far as "Europeans with a mastery of the English Language"? I would say that The History Guy is an American with a mastery of the English language too (at least as far as history TH-camrs go).
It's not so much the language or the mispronunciations that are jarring, its the cadence (rhythms) of his voice. He alternates between 'really into this' and 'cold reading from a script', and his stops and pauses because of it are a bit odd. He hasn't quite found his 'groove/style' of narrating. If I had to guess, I'd say that someone else writes the script and then they just record a cold read and run with it, rather than doing a run through/rehearsal first. A for effort, though.
"equipeded"
As a life long Chicagoian, thank you for your efforts in showing how the "work ethic" of Chicago really is. Yes, we have our share of issues, as does any big city, yet, Chicago really is and, always has been. It truly, deep down is a "can-do" city.
New York & L.A. residents have their own 'attitudes' yet, in Chicago, we truly have an attitude of mid-western sensibility. We welcome anybody and everybody, without contention if you are truly ready to roll your sleeves up and - help us get "things done".
Perpetuating our reputation of being the city of "big sholders".
So glad i found this channel
Thanks for the video very interesting and informative
and the embers never fade in my city by the lake ❤️
I got to see Smashing Pumpkins play at the United Center a few years ago, and when WPC sang that line, the arena went berserk with applause. It was awesome to see and hear.
@@lloydster9000 I saw them at the Rosemont Horizon back in the day (before it was remodeled into the current Allstate Arena)
@@brianpmack I bet that show was fantastic!
@@lloydster9000 sounds epic! I saw them in high school at a small club in Toledo right before they literally blew up on MTV. A friend made me go with her so glad she did it was the only time I saw them live. Been a fan since though!
Great video 🔥
Invention and Technology Magazine (From American Heritage Society) had a feature article on the Chicago sewer system from the 19th century. What Chicago was able to accomplish was and is simply amazing
When I moved to Chicago. the Loop had a huge and expensive flood!
He makes the best videos
The reverse flow does still impact suburbs of Chicago. My parents had a home in Berwyn and if we had heavy rainfall their basement would flood until Chicago would open the locks.
This is very interesting 😌 I love these kinds of topics while I terraform on cities skylines.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. People can get sick when they swallow food or water contaminated with cholera bacteria. The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe and life-threatening.
What a colorful and fantastical narrative. Like a children's story. Cistercians.
Another fascinating piece...thank you...also, a new word has entered our Socash Vocabulary...EQUIPTED'...keeps us listening very carefully!...well Done, Ryan!...dgp/uk
I love these documentaries. I'm from Chicago and though I live abroad, damn do I love Chicago...just not Beetlejuice Nor anyone else running...sorry ruining the city. Should be a felony life sentence for what is happening there. Still one of the most beautiful cities in the world. This and NYC I love most in the USA.
Catfish eyes is ruining the city.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. It’s a shame really.
everyone running this city belongs in prison. but it's Crook County for a reason
@@carstarsarstenstesenn true dat! Crook county where the worst crooks run the jails!🤣
Well done Ryan!
You state that up until the 1990s the cribs were manned. I used to work with a woman whose husband would go out there for a week at a time to work in them. He retired around 2015, so I think that assertion that it ended in the 90s needs to be revisited.
Never been a bright bulb that came out of that city. It still proves today.
Beautiful vid! I live here, always wanted to learn.
How did our nation used to have the ability to do these mega projects pre world war 2 and now we can’t even fix the roads we have.
One of my favorite videos that you have done
All I know about Chicago's water project is the waste water treatment is world class. Many cities around the world will come to Chicago to study as the model for other cities.
this is superb content
Amazing architecture in the 18th and 19th century 👏Could we do it again?💪🦾🤷♂️🤷♀️🤷👥👥👥👥👥👥👥👥
I was a builder mover for 15 years and they probably had some cracks inside that happens . You would have to dig under it to fit your beams n cribbing then you put your main beams in first then your cross beams and put cut blocks on the cross beams with shim and pump up a little to see how it’s raising n is sured up and you can start . We never did buildings like that would have to be a custom job
i think location @20:46 , McCook??, is one that is below a highway my family used to drive across in the past
Yeah I believe so, i drive over it every weekend since I was child. Nothings changed really over the past decade or more
Thx u 4 sharing very informative 👍
Would be cool to learn more about ybor city. I know they have some interesting history here
THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO THIS IS INTERSTING FOR MY HUSBAND AND I to watch tonight
Thanks for the history.
This is the most interesting video I’ve ever seen
Its weird how i can be born and grow up here and never hear about any of this stuff
so much of Chicago's history gets forgotten, for better or worse.
Time to go explore them
Man this was really informative
2:07 Low water table? I am confused, would you mean high water table?
You’re not confused, the narrator is....
The engineering skill....
so buildings built on marshland didn't have foundations to begin with?
The chicago fire happened the same day and time as a bigger fire in michigans west side and smaller in Wisconsin. There were eyewitnesses claiming they saw fire coming from the sky. A new thought was maybe an air burst I over lake michigan cuased the fires.
WOW What a phenominal Situation Lifting Humungus Buildings & with No damage; & Hauling In all that fill !!!! sad the Lives lost In the Fire!!
It’s sad they don’t maintain those cribs. They are a very cool piece of history and hard work and it’s sad to see them rot away and eventually destroyed. I love going up close to them on the boat.
I totally agree, I’d really love to visit them some day.
@@ITSHISTORY
*People learn from your videos,* you have got to stop bowing to expedience and picking arbitrary meaning-adjacent words out of expedience-i.e., _unanimously_ does not mean _simultaneously,_
Awesome, thank you.
Nice fa-save
5:13 that's not a word, lmao.
Wow i never knew and am very interested as a Chicago shedd aquarium engineer
I can see the Dunne crib from my window. Same place the fire was.
What about "The Great Chicago Flood" when they drove new pilings into the tunnels?
Great video. I had no idea about this
Gee, it would have been FAR CHEAPER/EASIER to have just commandeered the 1st floor of every building for piping space and building an additional floor on the top of the building to replace the lost 1st floor.
Seattle kinda did that? The city planning only allowed new buildings after the fire to have a temporary first floor and a Second floor main entrance, or something like that.