Canal Warehouse
County:
LaSalle
Picture:
Location:
The marker is located in Utica, on the southeast corner of East Canal Street and Mill Street, on the grounds of the LaSalle County Historical Society Museum.
Latitude:
41.3405
Longitude:
-89.0097
Dedication Date:
01/01/1973
Dedication By:
LaSalle County Historical Society and the Illinois State Historical Society
Marker Description:
This stone building was a warehouse on the Illinois and Michigan Canal. It was built by James Clark, a resident of Utica, one year after the canal was completed in 1848. Before the advent of the railroads the canal was the main commercial artery to Chicago. It helped establish Chicago as an important grain market and contributed greatly to the growth of that city and the northern part of the Illinois River Valley. Clark had also constructed five sections of the canal. He operated a general store in his warehouse, which shipped an average of 210,000 bushels of corn and 22,000 bushels of oats per year. It is the only surviving warehouse on canal frontage.
Map: