This bi-state region began as an ancient
lake bed about 12,000 years ago as the last
great glacier departed, forming the Great 
Lakes.
    Today, this ancient lake plain includes 
the paths of the Little Calumet,  Grand 
Calumet and Calumet rivers. These are water
ways altered by human activity through the 
creation of harbors, canals, dams and large 
drainage ditches.
     Orginally a singal river flowed from 
Indiana into Illinois, took a great turn 
near present day Blue Island and went to 
lake Michigan. Some have suggested that the
name of this river came from a Potawatomi 
word for "low body for deep, still water".
On early maps, various efforts led to its 
identification as the Kennomick, Callimink,
or a dozen of other variations. These all 
evolved into the common use of "Calumet".
     The high ground and beaches provided 
effective trails, the lakes and marshes 
supported abundant game, and thus for cent-
uries, the Calumet region has seen permanent
human settlement.
     Early settlers and farmers gave way to an
immense industrial complex where coal, iron
ore, and transportation lines fed the rapid 
growth of the region's steel industry. Across 
the region are significant spots reflecting 
this complex history and the cultural heritage
that has grown with it.

Construction at South Works
St. Michael the Archangel Catholic
Church framed by construction work
at US Steel, South Works, a century
ago.

Courtesy of Southeast Historical
Society

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Last Interurban Electric Train
Begun at the turn of the 20th Century as a street car
delivering East Chicago workers to Indiana Harbor and
Inland Street, today the Chicago South Shore & South
Bend Railroad remains the nation's last interurban
electric train. For most of the 20th century, riders
commuted aboard a fleet of cars constructed by Pullman
Palace Car Company in the mid-1920s. Today Commuters
continue to ride along the 88-mile line which runs
between Chicago's loop and South Bend, Indiana.

Photo by William Raia, author of "Spirit of the South
Shore"