I’ve been reading the Harry Dresden novels, which are set in Chicago and a common theme in the books is that there is a massive network of tunnels under Chicago. They apparently originated as the old city sank into the swamp and was built upon.
I’ve tried to google this with no success.
Obviously the book is fiction, but is this based on fact? Are there networks of tunnels under Chicago?
About half of the old light rail network, the “freight tunnels” metioned in the column, still exist.
I’ve seen a map of Lower Lower Wacker Drive and the surrounding tunnels but have no idea where or how to find it now.
I just get a blank page with that link.
Oddly, I do too in Firefox, but in Safari, I get the page.
I have an old version of Firefox (3.0.14) and it works fine.
Works in Opera, IE, and Chrome as well.
Not sure what to tell you.
Works for me in Firefox 3.5.10.
Check your version of Firefox and your extensions – some of them don’t work with the software on the SDChicago page.
This includes AdBlock – we’ve had complaints that having AdBlock on results in blank pages.
Brilliant, thanks. A very informative article.
The link works fine for me.
Yup-it’s the AdBlock.
Same here.
Try it now. There was a missing tag that throws off Ad Blocker. I fixed all the columns after Jan. 1 of this year but haven’t done the earlier ones other than this one just now. Will try to get to them eventually.
Works fine now.
Thank you.
Not exactly a light rail, as this was not a passenger carrying network at all. The Chicago Tunnel Company was far more like a mine railway, and used the same sort of miniature electric locomotives. The crazy plan they had was to deliver freight downtown, but their aspirations were way better then their business plans - one mistake was to build many miles of tunnels without checking first if there was any business along that line. They had also lied to the local politicians in claiming the route they were building was really a telephone system (no kidding!). For a very short while, the little railroad did actually transport U.S. Mail between the various Post Office and railroad stations.
See: http://users.ameritech.net/chicagotunnel/tunnel1.html
Also, Bruce Moffat has a truly comprehensive book on the line called “40 Feet Below.” Try to get the expanded second edition, which has many more details.