Will County

Later that same year, workers broke ground for the nearly 100-mile-long Illinois and Michigan Canal between the Illinois and Chicago Rivers. The opening of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and the movement of industry away from Chicago caused manufacturers to turn their attention to Will. As the county's population grew, the unincorporated area between Joliet and Chicago's southern suburbs continued to shrink. The transportation ties linking Chicago with the communities of Will County—tr...