ISGS - Windy City Weekend
Visit the state's premier city this summer and enjoy the historical, cultural, and geological attractions of Chicago. Consider taking one of our great guidebooks with you, or read one before you head out. Here are a few day trips you might like to take (even if you're an armchair traveler):
The Chicago River—A Legacy of Glacial and Coastal Processes (Guidebook 37, 2009, 32 pp., $12.00). This guidebook is designed to accompany a day-long driving tour near and within the Chicago area. The book presents an overview of the Chicago River's geological framework and describes five select locations that are important to the river's geologic history.
"Make No Little Plans": Field Trip Guidebook for the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association 2008 National Conference, Chicago, October 15–17, 2008 was written as part of the year-long celebration of the Burnham Plan Centennial (Guidebook 36, 2008, 42 pp., $15.00). This tour along the Chicago shoreline compares its present-day features with the historic images from the 1909 plan Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett had for the city. Navy Pier, Grant Park, and Burnham Harbor are three of the eight locations described in detail.
Chicagoland Geology: The Making of a Metropolis (Open File 2005-9, 2005, 64 pp., $18.00). This guide follows a day-long driving route across northern Chicagoland and parallel to and along the Lake Michigan shore. The guide examines the city's urban geology and explains its geologic setting and the landscape modifications that encouraged Chicago's growth.
Guide to the Geology of Illinois Beach State Park and the Zion Beach-Ridge Plain, Lake County, Illinois (Geoscience Field Trip Guidebook, 2000, 69 pp., $4.00) This park preserves the last remaining segments of Lake Michigan shoreline in Illinois free of coastal engineering and the last remaining expanse of coastal dunes and wetlands. The unique geological setting of the park is a habitat for many rare and endangered plant species. The guide describes six locations and covers the park's history, geologic framework and evolution, and the effects of coastal processes.
The Classic Silurian Reefs of the Chicago Area (Guidebook 29, 1999, 42 pp., $5.00) Bridgeport, Stony Island, and Thornton figure prominently in this guide to the Silurian reefs of the Chicago area. The high-purity dolomite from these reefs has been an important part of the area's stone and lime industries. As the reefs have been mined, they've released important information about the environment during Paleozoic time.
Updated 08/14/2009 SLD