Transportation and the Location of Cities

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— ——SHIP CANAL
. ga lr 3UILT UP AREA OF
LHICAGO 3 OTHER MUNICIPALITIES
£16. 150. Since practically the whole southern coast of Lake Michigan is without deep indentasions,
 Chicago has had to make its own harbor by means of jetties. Note the number of railroad
ines that run into the citv.

the ends more frequently than any other point. Hence most of the
important lake ports are near the ends of the various lakes.
How lakes and railroads have helped Chicago. The largest of the
lake ports is Chicago, the world’s most important railway center.
The city owes much of this distinction to Lake Michigan, the southward
 extension of which obliges the railroads that connect the eastern
states with much of the West and Northwest to swing around its end.
Lake Michigan also causes railroads from the Southwest and South
to converge near its southern end because it offers such an excellent
and cheap water route to eastern markets, particularly New York.
Although not quite at the southern end of the lake, Chicago lies at the
nearest point where there is even a hint of a natural harbor, and has
therefore become a great transportation center.
The routes centering at Chicago vibrate with activity. As you
read these lines, freight and passenger trains are hurrying to Chicago