For Seller

By: Juanita Watson

Reader Views is excited to talk with Cynthia Ogorek, author of "Along the Calumet River," a documentation of the history and development of the Calumet River running through Illinois and Indiana. Cynthia is speaking with Juanita Watson, the Assistant Editor of Reader Views.

Juanita: Thank you for talking with us today Cynthia. Can you tell us about your book and what readers will learn regarding the Calumet River?

Cynthia: It is a historical photo-essay about the Calumet River which is located in northwestern Indiana and southeastern Cook County in Illinois.

Juanita: Were you born in this area?

Cynthia: Yes, I am a native of the Calumet Region. I was born in Hammond, Indiana, grew up in Calumet City, IL, just the other side of the state line.

Juanita: You are a historian, with an obvious love of the area you talk about in your book. Can you tell us about your passion for history and in particular, the Calumet River area?

Cynthia: That’s a rather romantic way of putting it. I don’t feel very "passionate" when I get to my office in the morning. Most times it’s just plain work. I saw an interesting quote the other day, "Home is where your story begins." Prior to that I kept telling myself, "Bloom where you are planted." I have an analytical sort of mind and I like to tell stories on paper. I used to love to listen to my parents and older relatives tell stories about what they did as children, how their parents did things, where they came from, what this area was like when they were young. There’s just something intriguing about getting a feel for another era. Imagining how those people felt. Trying to communicate to readers how things were in another time. The reward comes when someone lets you know that they "got it." That’s the best!

Juanita: Who were the original settlers of the Calumet River region?

Cynthia: They were a varied lot. In the 1830s, they were mostly people moving west from the east coast and New York state. Lots of New Englanders and Ohioans and British, too. In the 1840s, the Dutch started coming in and about the same time, many Germans. By the turn of the 19th century, they were joined by Irish, Russians, Poles, Croatians, Romanians, Serbs, Hungarians, Italians"¦ you name it.

Juanita: When did pioneers make their way into the area and what lead them to eventually establish towns in the area?

Cynthia: The pioneer era started after the Blackhawk War of 1832 and with the signing of the final treaties with the Potowatomi, Ottawa, and Miami, in 1833. After that, this region was surveyed and opened to settlers. At that time, most families were looking for land to farm and most of the settlements were located near water and wooded areas. People needed water for drinking, irrigating, and to power mills. Wooded areas provided fuel and building materials.

Juanita: How has urbanization and development changed the region of the Calumet?

Cynthia: Oh, my! Those 1830s folks wouldn’t recognize the place! By the time we finish this interview the rest of the farmland will be paved over. I’m not exaggerating too much when I say that. The post-World War II housing boom started the subdividing process. I think that whatever land was not under cultivation at that time was used for housing. And it didn’t matter if the houses were built right on the river bank. For a long time, too, lots of men kept the family farms going while they worked in the factories in Gary and East Chicago. But now, they are retired and either their kids are not interested in farming or the land and taxes are just too costly. So, they’ve sold out. What used to be "suburban" is now "urban," in my opinion. The region today is nothing like it was even in the 1950s.

Juanita: Where are the headwaters of the Calumet and what makes up the watershed area of this river?

Cynthia: The headwaters are in LaPorte County, Indiana. And the watershed dips down to an area just north of Valparaiso in Porter County, somewhat north of Crown Point in Lake County, and as far as the Monee area in Cook County.

Juanita: How many square miles is the watershed?

Cynthia: Almost 600 square miles.

Juanita: What environmental issues have concerned inhabitants of the Calumet River region through its progression over the years?

Cynthia: There has always been a problem with cleanliness. By 1900, the shores of Lake Michigan were so polluted that people were afraid to drink the water which was collected in the cribs a couple of miles out. So, the Chicago River and the Calumet River were reversed and used to carry sewage away from the Lake down into the Illinois River valley and then to the Mississippi. Not long after that, industrial waste became a huge problem.

However, about the same time, botanists and zoologists from the University of Chicago began studying the flora and fauna of the region and lay people, mostly from Chicago, began hiking through the area and these groups recognized the importance of clean land. So, the contest, if you will, between groups that just threw their dirt anywhere and those who want human beings to respect their environment, in other words, to not foul our nest, was set up. They’ve been at it ever since. Every decade of the 20th century saw some sort of effort to clean up the rivers.

Juanita: What does this region look like today?

Cynthia: It depends on who’s looking or how they are looking. Some people come from the east on I-90 and all they "see" are the steel mills along the Lake which look pretty awful. Others travel on the Dunes Highway, for instance, and they zip through pieces of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore interspersed with those steel mills and suddenly find themselves in downtown Gary, IN, and then more urban areas as they travel west and north toward Chicago. The view from I-80 isn’t much different. The view from the Lincoln Highway, or Route 30, is changing so fast it makes my head spin. What used to be dunes and farms and old houses is now one gas station after a strip mall after another.

Still, if you get off of those major thoroughfares and stop to look at the different towns, visit parks and forest preserves, historical society museums, you’ll get an idea of who lives here and how. Some remnants of the region as far back as the 1830s remain. You just have to be patient and find out where to look for them.

Juanita: What is the geography and climate of the Calumet River region?

Cynthia: The climate is affected by Lake Michigan. We are located at the southern tip or South Shore. Mostly the wind comes from the southwest, but storms coming in from that direction are affected by the Lake and sometimes they turn around 180 degrees and we have "Lake-effect" snow or rain. But generally, we have hot summers and cold winters. Sometimes it gets very humid in the summer.

The terrain is called "Lake Plain" which means it’s fairly level. The river, for instance, drops only about 40 feet across Porter County. Then through Lake and Cook Counties there’s barely any current. By draining and channelizing the river and paving nearly the entire flood plain, we’ve destroyed the natural sponginess of the area. There used to be lots of marshes. During the wet season the river could easily be a mile wide. Now "they" have to dig enormous underground chambers to hold rainwater until it can be released into the river.

Juanita: How did you go about compiling the facts and great photos for your book?

Cynthia: Well, I knew a great deal generally about the region. It took me a while to focus, but then I created a timeline and outlined what I thought were the important themes. After that I began visiting historical museums, archives and libraries. I think I hit 24 of each, more-or-less. Plus I talked with lots of individuals.

Juanita: What are the themes you address in your book?

Cynthia: The wilderness or the time before there were bridges; the pioneers who built the bridges literally over the river and figuratively among themselves and the natives; industrialization; urbanization; recreation; and the newest history: environmental and historical preservation in the valley.

Juanita: How long was it in the making?

Cynthia: Seven or eight months.

Juanita: How has the role of the river changed over the years?

Cynthia: Well, it’s not so much of a sewage disposal system anymore. Certain stretches of it are quite nice for recreational use. In other areas you can see how commercial it is. I mean, with barges hauling bulk commodities. Most of the industrial complexes are gone. So, it has a good chance of being a pleasant natural asset for the community. But it will never be the river it was before the pioneer era.

Juanita: What would be some historical facts that even long time residents of the Calumet River region would be surprised to hear?

Cynthia: That the St. Lawrence Seaway ends in the Calumet River. That the Skyway Bridge is 7.8 miles long. That the Calumet River was an integral part of the Illinois & Michigan Canal.

Juanita: Cynthia, why is this such an important book not only for the Calumet River region, but as a documentation of American history?

Cynthia: For one thing, it briefly documents the westward movement in the 19th century in a region of the country that is under-reported. Northwest Indiana and south Cook County, Illinois, are kind of the "drive over" areas around here. All the publicity goes to Chicago and people don’t realize that Chicago has thrived because of this hinterland, both in agricultural times and industrial. The Calumet River valley was known as the "workshop of the world" in the 1930s and 40s. And those who weren’t working in the factories were producing food for the restaurants, hotels and households of Chicago and elsewhere in the nation. We were also home to several food processing concerns and once were known as the "Onion Set Capital of the World."

As the nation changes from a manufacturer to a service provider, so does the Calumet Region.

Juanita: Along with writing "Along the Calumet River," you are a local historian and speaker extensively in your area. Can you tell us a little of your other endeavors?

Cynthia: After running a local history museum for six years, I started my company, The Public Historian, in 2003. I write and speak about history. One of my programs is called "Romancing the Spoon, The Victorian Love Affair with Silver" and I recently published a small guide to the historical and environmental sights in Calumet City. I also prepare National Register of Historic Places nominations.

I try to promote history whenever I can, mostly by serving on the boards of several historical organizations and being involved in conference planning. I also do contract archives work.

Juanita: What is your educational background that has allowed for your extensive career as well known historian/advocate in your community?

Cynthia: I had a classical education. There was always a balance between the humanities and science. I always had a strong interest in geography, history and languages and found in college that plants were interesting, too. I loved to read. When I was old enough, I traveled as much as I could. I was always curious about people and how they did things. Later on, I was a stringer for a local newspaper and got to travel around the region. It was about that time that I also became a member of my hometown historical society. One thing led to another and I found myself in graduate school working on a degree in history. It’s all coming together now.

Juanita: How can your readers find out more about your and your endeavors?

Cynthia: They are welcome to take a look at my website www.centerofknownhistory.com. Or contact me by email at sealuna@juno.com.

Juanita: Thanks for talking with us today Cynthia. Your book "Along the Calumet River" is a thorough documentation of an area in this country that deserves recognition for its historical significance. Do you have any last thoughts you’d like to share with your readers?

Cynthia: Just that if they happen to pick up a copy of my book, I hope they’ll enjoy the read"”and the pictures"”and learn something along the way. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you today.

Juanita Watson is the Assistant Editor for Reader Views.