Port of Chicago

The Port of Chicago is a group of important places for ships and boats on Lake Michigan in the city of Chicago, Illinois. It is run by the Illinois International Port District, which used to be called the Chicago Regional Port District. The port includes big spots like Senator Dan Dougherty Harbor, Iroquois Landing Lakefront Terminus, and Harborside International Golf Center. The main part, called Calumet Harbor, is taken care of by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

This port helps connect many parts of the United States. It links canals and rivers in the Midwestern United States to the Great Lakes. This means ships can travel to the St. Lawrence Seaway, and from there to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico using the Illinois Waterway and the Mississippi River. This makes the Port of Chicago very important for trade and travel around the world.

History

In 1951, the Illinois General Assembly allowed the creation of port districts in Illinois, and the Chicago Regional Port District was the first to be made. This district was in charge of developing harbors and ports, including Lake Calumet. In 1985, the Illinois International Port District was created to manage the Port of Chicago.

C.T.C. No. 1

C.T.C. No. 1 was a big ship, 620 feet long, that arrived at the south Chicago ports in 1982. It could carry up to 16,300 tons and was used to store and move cement until it stopped being used in 2009. After that, the ship stayed in one place and was bought by a company in Traverse City, MI.

Port Commerce & Foreign Trade Zone No. 22

The Illinois International Port District looks after Foreign Trade Zone No. 22. This zone covers 8 counties: Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, and Will Counties, plus parts of McHenry and Kane Counties. The district has about 20 acres of land ready for future projects and 400,000 square feet of storage space.

At the start of the Calumet River is the Iroquois Landing Lakefront Terminus. This area is used for storing and processing shipping containers. It has 190 acres of paved ground and space for boats and barges. The terminus has easy access by truck and train, with two large sheds and space for trains. About 6 miles away, it connects to Lake Calumet, which has two large grain storage buildings and space for liquid storage.

Governance

The Illinois International Port District Act creates a nine-member board. Four members are chosen by the Governor of Illinois with approval from the Illinois Senate, and five members are chosen by the Mayor of Chicago with approval from the Chicago City Council. This district is special because it cannot collect taxes.

In 2008, a group called the Chicago Civic Federation suggested closing the district and moving its work to the City of Chicago. In 2013, the mayor and governor talked about letting a private company help improve the port, but this plan did not finish.

Facilities

The Port of Chicago has several important places where goods are stored and moved. One place is the Iroquois Landing Lakefront Terminal, which has big warehouses and lots of space for storing things.

Another place is the Lake Calumet terminal. It has special sheds for moving goods, long spaces where ships and barges can stop, and big areas for storing grain and liquids.