Middle Fork
The North Branch of the Chicago River has 3 stems/forks. All three get thier start in marshy prairies that are separated by glacial moraines. The Middle Fork shows up on the old topo maps as a marshy area with a indefinite river path through it. By the first (late 1930s) aerial photos of the area, you can see that the land had been tiled and the river ditched for agriculture. So even though the land is no longer used for agriculture, the Middle Fork today still looks more like a canal than a river.
Middle Fork
The North Branch of the Chicago River has 3 stems/forks. All three get thier start in marshy prairies that are separated by glacial moraines. The Middle Fork shows up on the old topo maps as a marshy area with a indefinite river path through it. By the first (late 1930s) aerial photos of the area, you can see that the land had been tiled and the river ditched for agriculture. So even though the land is no longer used for agriculture, the Middle Fork today still looks more like a canal than a river.