Civic Opera House and Chicago River

Across the river, you’ll find the Civic Opera House, home to the Lyric Opera of Chicago. One of the most prestigious opera houses in the world, it boasts the second largest auditorium in North America. Built at the beginning of the 20th century in Art Deco style, it makes a serious statement, heavy and majestic over the river, but actually, I really want to tell you more about the river as its history is quite extraordinary! In the 19th century, as most cities around the world, Chicago used its river as a dump, and by 1860 the water of the Chicago River was completely toxic. The problem is that water flows straight into Lake Michigan, Chicago’s drinking water source . How charming! Public health problems were enormous, and cholera epidemics were devastating. To solve this, it was decided to “simply” reverse the river’s course and create a new sanitary canal! Soundscrazy doesn’t it?  I’ll skip the technical details – gravity, locks, artificial canals, etc. – but the fact remains that the riverbefore your eyes is flowing against the current! Another interesting fact about this river is, that, once a year, it turns a fluorescent green! Indeed, every St. Patrick’s Day Chicago dyes the river in green as a tribute to its large Irish population.  Of course, they use a natural dye usually used to study currents, which is harmless to the ecosystemAfter a few days it disappears on its own . You’ll also have noticed that the river is crossed by numerous mobile bridges. There is a total of 45 of them, and they can be raised or pivoted to allow even the largest boats to pass.

Unfortunately, contamination problems are still very much with us. Industrial zones have heavily polluted the river. The gigantic Union Stock Yards slaughterhouses, which operated for over a century, discharged their waste into the river. Back in the day, the area was nicknamed Bubbly Creek because of the gases produced by decomposition. The State of Illinois was even forced to warn of the danger of consuming the river’s mercury-contaminated fish. Authorities are also concerned that certain species may reach the Great Lakes. In short, it’s all very sad, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying your strolls along the water’s edge! To end on a happier note, you should know that for the last ten years or so, the river has also been the scene of a rather incongruous race. Some 60,000 bathing ducks – yes, the little yellow plastic ones – are released into the river. The aim was to raise funds for a Special Olympic charity , which organizes sporting events for people with mental disabilities. The concept is simple. Spectators adopt a numbered duck, in the hope of seeing it cross the finish line first, with a big prize at stake! In 2015, the race helped raise around $400,000 for the organization!