Centennial Fountain
Back to Centennial Fountain
Back to Centennial Fountain
First, some background
When you walk along the Chicago River, you can see tour boats, sailboats, paddleboats, and maybe even a group of kayakers enjoying a day on the river. If you could rewind to the mid-1800s, you would see an even more congested river, but the boats would look very different. Shipping vessels carrying coal, grain, and lumber ruled the river then, and industry dominated its banks. As the region's most important harbor and the only shipping path between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico, the Chicago River helped transform the City of Broad Shoulders into an economic and cultural hub of the world.
Today, the downtown riverbanks are lined with buisnesses and recreation spots. One of these is Centennial Fountain, which periodically shoots an arc of water over the river. The fountain and its 10-minute water show celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, the agency that reversed the flow of the river in 1900.
Today, the downtown riverbanks are lined with buisnesses and recreation spots. One of these is Centennial Fountain, which periodically shoots an arc of water over the river. The fountain and its 10-minute water show celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, the agency that reversed the flow of the river in 1900.
