http://www.willyweather.com/il/cook-county/chicago.html

Historical Overview

This summary of the history of movable bridges in Chicago is the most recent version of a presentation I have given to a number of groups. The information is specific to the 18 Loop Bridges, although much of it can be generalized to all of Chicago's movable bridges.

The slide show is set up to run on an endless loop, but it can be controlled manually by rolling your pointing device (mouse, track pad, or finger) over the image to see the usual controls. Listed below the images you will find links to pages on the site with additional information.

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Links to definitions and concepts

Video of a bridge in action (check out the Bridgehouse Museum)

More information about the engineers (note the dates shown on the slides for the engineers indicate the period that they worked in the Chicago Public Works Department).

More explanation about the Plan of Chicago as it related specifically to bridges.

A personal account of a spring boat run.