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Places Near the Fox River, 2018

By late 1832 the Black Hawk War ended in Illinois. This prompted many new settlers, among them soldiers who had fought in the war, to move to Illinois. The area around Carpentersville, Dundee and Elgin was attractive for both the soil, the trees and the Fox River, which was large enough to support water powered industry, while not being so daunting as the Mississippi River.

A factory was built in Carpentersville, as well as a lagoon for ice harvesting and a dam. Adjacent the dam a sluice gate was built, allowing the control of the river water fueling the water wheel that transmitted the energy to machines in the factory.

In March of 2022 I shot what remains of the sluice gate. A bridge has been built over the gate. It has not operated in over a century but the factory building it served is in current use.
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