Do you have any ideas or choices all i have here is this info that i typed i had this question before do not know if that will help tho. The Erie Canal was important to Chicago's growth in the 1830s, because
the Erie Canal gave direct water access from the East Coast through the
Great Lakes to Chicago. Another important development was the opening
in 1848 of the Illinois and Michigan Canal that connected the Chicago
River (and hence Lake Michigan) to the Mississippi River. But after
1850 or so, the most important reason for Chicago's growth was its
development as a rail/ship nexus, joining railroad traffic from Iowa and
points west, as well as Missouri, Kentucky and points south, and the
Great Lakes, which connected to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan,
Pennsylvania, New York, and through the St. Lawrence Seaway New England
and Europe.
27 days 7 hours 43 minutes and 11.6 seconds