At Yesteryear's Pace

As a way to experience the history of Illinois in this Bicentennial Year, I thought it would be a good opportunity to move at the pace of yesteryear, by taking a ride on a canal boat in the Illinois and Michigan Canal, pulled by a mule.

I invited Mom to join me, and so, back on the afternoon of Saturday, May 19, we went to LaSalle, IL (#156), to climb aboard a replica canal boat, the Volunteer, evocative of a bygone era, complete with costumed guides.  (It was a nice way to spend time together, and have a little something special to do as I celebrated 5 years since my ValpU graduation that very day.)

Upon arrival, we got our tickets at the Lock 16 Visitor's Center (#157), and then took a short walk down Joliet Street on a bridge over the Illinois and Michigan Canal and then on a winding path to board the Volunteer (#158), which is in the photo below, at dock in the canal.

There was a small crowd taking a ride that day, and before boarding, we heard one of the guides explain what a mule is, and how useful they've been all through history.  They are a cross between a male donkey and a female horse--the reverse mating combination would result in a totally different animal.  They've been relied on since ancient times because they are sturdy.  Moe and Larry are the two mules who serve the role of pulling the boats.

This is one of the mules, though I can't remember which one.

Then our time came to board, while the mule got hitched up to the tug rope that would pull the boat.  After passing underneath the Joliet Street Bridge, we were free to move about the boat, while one of the other costumed guides talked about the history and operations of the I&M Canal, and here I share my recollections of what I learned.

Here's the view looking east from the bow of Volunteer, which is in the foreground.  Near the center of this photo, you can see the mule being led on the towpath along the south side of the canal, by the costumed mule guide in an orangish shirt.  The bow of the Volunteer is in the foreground.

LaSalle is located near the western terminus of the canal, with the eastern terminus in the Chicago city neighborhood of Bridgeport.  It served as a vital link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, providing service to transport goods and passengers.

There was so much traffic, in fact, that the state agency overseeing the canal imposed a speed limit of 5 miles per hour.  At the typical speed of travel, it would take between 18-24 hours for a passenger boat to travel between Chicago and LaSalle.  It was totally astounding to hear that fact, considering how Mom and I got from Oak Park to LaSalle in about 1 1/2 hours.  Not too long after the canal opened, the railroad was built nearby, providing passage between Chicago and LaSalle in 6 hours, and with passengers opting for a shorter commute, passenger service ceased on the canal, while transport of goods continued.

At one point, Abraham Lincoln sought to have the canal enlarged to provide passage for boats during the Sectional War of the 1860s.

Eventually, locks were installed along the Illinois River to regular the water flow and provide easier passage for boats, which rendered the I&M Canal obsolete.  Today, the canal is mostly used for pleasure boat traffic.  And the canal towpath running along the side continues to serve as a path for jogging, walking, biking, and, of course, the mules that pull the canal boat.

There are portions of the canal that are dry, and some that still have water, like the part we rode on in the boat, which had a depth of about 3 feet.  We traveled for about 1/2 hour about a mile east, and when we neared the Little Vermilion River aqueduct, the Volunteer was turned around, hitched up to the mule once again, and then was pulled back to the boarding spot.

The Vermillion River aqueduct appears near the center of this photo.  The towpath is to the right, and there's a factory to the left.

At one point, the guide stopped her narration as we passed by a noisy area near a factory that was built in proximity to the canal, and then started up again, while we enjoyed the ride all along the tree-lined canal.  It was nice to move around the Volunteer to take in the views from the upper level in addition to the main level bow area and the inside seating area.

Here's the view from the upper level of the Volunteer as it passes underneath a railroad bridge.

We were back at the port around 5:30, concluding a wonderful time aboard the Volunteer.  (As a reward for their work in moving the Volunteer, the mule got some treats.)  It was quite an enjoyable time learning about transportation of a bygone era by actually experiencing it, even going at a much slower pace, as a mule can go, and to take stock of what it was like when the I&M Canal was a major transportation corridor decades ago, and helped fuel the growth of Illinois, especially Chicago.

It's a great way to gain some historical perspective, and I highly suggest going to LaSalle to ride aboard the Volunteer.

Mom got these pictures of me on the upper level of the Volunteer, above, and in front of the boat, below.