On May 29, 1889, the Chicago Sanitary District was established by the Illinois General Assembly in order to protect the drinking water supply for people in Chicago. This recent anniversary prompted me to wonder, What would have happened if Chicago had not reversed the river? Would Chicago still have managed to become a soaring metropolis or would sanitation and health problems have stunted its growth, sending people and industry to St. Louis or St. Paul?
You see, as Chicago grew in...
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