The People Behind the I&M Canal

Two weeks ago, I drove out to LaSalle, IL to learn all about the Illinois and Michigan Canal. It was beautiful and full of history!

Some fun facts I learned:

1. The canal was 60 ft wide and 6 ft deep and ran 96 miles long. It was DUG BY HAND by mostly Irish immigrant workers, who were paid $1 a day (and when the state ran out of money they were paid in script, which was worth a lot less) and they were also paid in whiskey which was seen as a healing drink, after a long day of manual labor. The canal was completed in 1848.

2. At this time labor disputes were settled with fists on job sites. This is why the 1863 LaSalle "Black" Law was eventually passed which stated that strikers could not block scabs from entering private property and that only state organizations could organize militias (at this time both owners and laborers had their own armed forces). The workers said they were treated worse than slaves and as a political statement, they proclaimed that they would like to be taken into slavery, for that was the only way they could attain decent food and shelter.

3. The canal was navigated by boats pulled by Mules! The phrase "stubborn as a mule" is a misnomer. Mules are not so much stubborn as they are smart. They know when they can no longer safely work, and they will stop and rest until they are ready. Humans at this time were not afforded such rest and their "stubbornness" was met with blacklisting and police clubs.

The Illinois Labor History Society puts on several events like this a year. They provide trainings for Illinois' public school teachers on how to incorporate labor history into the curriculum. These also show how to make labor history more engaging for students. As a student, and one who does not intend to be a teacher, I still found the tour, as well as the presentations before hand, to be extremely interesting and informative.