Explorers

A library of resources for students and scholars

Beginning in January of 2000, local author and researcher Philip Vierling began publishing his "Chicago Portage Ledger". Now Carnegie Mellon University has digitized the entire 11 volume collection of Phil's original research and documentation of the story of the Chicago Portage National Historic Site. The collection is searchable and available on-line at: http://cpl.library.cmu.edu/

Father Dablon's account of Joliet's voyage to the Mississippi and Louis Joliet's letter of October 10, 1674

On their return in 1673, Joliet and Marquette stayed in Green Bay through the winter. The next spring Joliet headed home with the expedition's records, but shooting the rapids outside Montreal his canoe overturned, he nearly drowned, and all his notes on the trip were lost. A few weeks later, he was interviewed by Fr. Claude Dablon, head of the Jesuits in New France, about where he'd gone and what he'd seen. Four contemporary manuscript copies of Dablon's notes on that conversation have survived.

In 2007 Friends founder Gary Mechanic was a guest on Commissioner Frank Avila cable TV show.
Here's the 29 minute tv show

1938 aerial photo of the Chicago Portage National Historic Site in Portage Woods and Ottawa Trail Woods Forest Preserves

Friends of the Chicago Portage Workday Volunteers on Facebook

Early Chicago

The Encyclopedia of Chicago