General Info

From its earliest beginnings, Chicago has been defined as a city rising from the lake. From French fur traders paddling canoes to lumber-laden schooners and freighters transporting grain and coal to today's canoes and kayaks plying the Chicago river and streamlined sailboats racing north to Mackinac Island, the city continues to evolve from its strategic post at the foot of the Great Lakes. Since 1982, the Chicago Maritime Museum has collected more than 6,000 items that commemorate Chicago's maritime history, including ship models, articles, books, displays, art, images, and nautical artifacts. he new Chicago Maritime Museum adeptly tells the story of how Chicago's history and development stem from its axis between the Great Lakes and the waterways that flow into the Mississippi River. The museum offers visitors a chronological walk through local maritime history, including the Ralph and Rita Frese canoe collection.From its earliest beginnings, Chicago has been defined as a city rising from the lake. From French fur traders paddling canoes to lumber-laden schooners and freighters transporting grain and coal to today's canoes and kayaks plying the Chicago river and streamlined sailboats racing north to Mackinac Island, the city continues to evolve from its strategic post at the foot of the Great Lakes. Since 1982, the Chicago Maritime Museum has collected more than 6,000 items that commemorate Chicago's maritime history, including ship models, articles, books, displays, art, images, and nautical artifacts. he new Chicago Maritime Museum adeptly tells the story of how Chicago's history and development stem from its axis between the Great Lakes and the waterways that flow into the Mississippi River. The museum offers visitors a chronological walk through local maritime history, including the Ralph and Rita Frese canoe collection.