Chicago Portage - by Ferdinand Rebechini
1990 / Corten steel
Location: 4800 S Harlem Ave, Forest View, IL 60402
Located at the National Portage Historic Site
Explorers Marquette and Joliet first crossed the Chicago Portage in 1673. The statue depicts that event. It was designed and executed by Ferdinand Rebechini (1923-2003), a Chicago area artist.
The Chicago Portage was a significant factor in the development of United States interior. The Chicago Portage is the low and short divide between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River systems. It has been described as one the keys to the continent. Explorers Marquette and Joliet first crossed the Chicago Portage in 1673. One of the most important travel routes of the mid-century, the portage was significant factor in the development of United States interiors.
Spot me. Can You?
It's a nice statue but it is historically inaccurate. The American Indians guided Marquette, not as this statue depicts. And, "portage" literally means to carry the canoe overland, not drag it on the ground as this statue depicts.
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