This color film from 1971, “A Seaport on the Prairie”, documents cargo ship traffic in and around the Port of Chicago, Illinois, concentrating on Calumet Harbor, as well as the Illinois River near Beardstown. Directed by Dave Viera for the Illinois Department of Business and Economic Development, the film was presented by International Trade Division, an Illinois Information Service Production.
The Port of Chicago consists of several major port facilities operated by the Illinois International Port District. The central element of the Port District, Calumet Harbor, is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Port of Chicago links inland canal and river systems in the Midwestern United States to the Great Lakes, giving the global shipping market access to the St. Lawrence Seaway and linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico by way of the Mississippi River.
00:00 The Abraham Lincoln totem pole outside the Illinois State Museum in Springfield 00:33 Sunrise over Lake Michigan, Calumet Harbor entrance 00:52 Chicago skyline; John Hancock Building, Shedd Aquarium, Monroe Harbor 00:56 E. Wacker Drive; Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower 01:00 The “L” (elevated train) platform at the State/Lake 01:04 E. Washington St. 01:09 The Inland Steel bulk carrier “E.L. Block” 01:14 Crewman work to dock a ship 01:26 A Chicago Fire and Police patrol boat 01:48 Daley Plaza and the Picasso statue 01:43 The Adams St. bridge over the Chicago River 01:58 The Monroe St. bridge 02:02 Union Station 02:20 The Harold Square Monument, Marina Towers 02:22 I-94 looking north toward the bridge over the Little Calumet River 02:27 Cargo unloaded from the “Korle Lagoon” at Navy Pier 02:45 Lake Point Tower 02:57 Lake Shore Drive (US-41); Drake Tower, Palmolive Building, John Hancock Building 03:46 Dirksen Federal Building 03:59 Chase Tower 04:01 Chicago Police officer writes a ticket 04:17 Outer Drive “S-Curve”; Curtiss Candy factory 04:38 Crew of a French cargo ship approaches Calumet Harbor 05:08 the tugboat “New Mexico” 05:23 Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railroad swing bridge on the Calumet River 05:31 Cargo ship approaches Calumet Harbor 06:08 Cargo ship owned by Livanos Shipping Company 06:23 Crane and scrap metal on the shore of the Calumet River 06:30 Ewing Avenue bridge 06:54 East 95th Street bridge 07:01 I-90 Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge 07:38 The tugboat “Nevada” 07:45 The bulk carrier “Faustina” 08:03 Cargo ship owned by the Poseidon Shipping Co. 08:21 Cargo ship owned by the Hall Corporation of Canada (HALCO) 08:30 Nickel Plate Road Railroad bridge 08:33 Men work to moor the ship 09:58 Workers gather and flash work cards, supervisors record their names 10:48 Caterpillar tractor loaded aboard a ship, Volkswagen vehicles unloaded 11:05 Grain loaded via a chute 12:35 Electromagnetic cranes load scrap metal aboard the “Ruthie Michael” 13:07 Intermodal containers are loaded 14:33 Customs agents inspect paperwork 14:43 Semi-trailer advertising Grid-10 Dairy Cleaner and Sanitizer 15:00 An Illinois Central Railroad gantry crane removes semi-trailers from flatbed rail cars 15:35 Towboat “Logsdon” on the Illinois River, Beardstown 15:46 Beardstown River View restaurant 16:15 Central Hotel 16:20 F. W. Woolworths 16:45 The Gem Theater 16:57 A pusher boat with barges 18:59 Crewmen tighten the cables that link barges together 20:38 The Midwest Boat Store 21:18 The pusher boat “Craig M” 21:46 The Ottawa Rail Bridge in Ottawa, IL. 22:40 Barges arrive in Calumet Harbor 23:34 Santa Fe box car is lifted and tipped to empty it of grain 24:33 A ship from the Hamburg-America Line 25:02 An anchor is lifted from the water 25:07 The French cargo ship “Suffren” 25:12 Workers leaving for the day 25:38 The Equitable building, Wrigley Building and Hotel Intercontinental 25:44 E. Adams Street and Adams/Wabash “L” platform 25:50 Illinois Governor Richard Ogilvie 26:53 CREDITS BEGIN
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
