Themes in American History

In the 1800’s, much like New York City, many developing states began to become increasingly populated. Because of the westward expansion, areas such as the Midwest; Chicago in particular attracted many immigrants to the area during this period. Their main water supply was lake Michigan. They got their drinking water here. As the city grew, the garbage did as well and factories began to throw their waste into the Chicago river. The city felt that it was absolutely necessary to built a proper sewerage system. The dirty water had taken a toll on the rising population in the mid 1800’s, killing hundreds of people. A disease called Cholera decimated the population and many blamed the Irish immigrants. This project was the biggest construction project of this era. It required the city to be elevated 10-15 feet vertically to allow the sewers to drain into the river. ( http://www.sewerhistory.org/chronos/new_amer_roots.htm )

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