The Glen Ellyn Wheaton Community Associates traveled to the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor where the I & M Canal was the final link in the plan to connect regions in North America by waterways. This canal was instrumental in making Chicago the industrial and transportation center it is today.
The bus trip was coordinated by About Tours, a Glen Ellyn tour company. The excursion was offered for two days so members could choose which days suited their schedule. Fifty-six members attended each outing and the trips were completely sold out.
Included in the bus trip was a ride on a canal boat through the I&M Canal pulled by a mule. The trip was narrated by a re-enactor who portrayed Mary Todd Lincoln. After the
boat ride, the bus load of Community associates toured the Hegeler Carus Mansion. Hegeler was a partner in the Hegeler Zinc Company and in 1915, his son founded Caros Chemical, the world’s largest producer of potassium permanganate.
The Community Associates are planning a new members information meeting at the Glen Ellyn Library on Tuesday, October 16. Interested people should call Membership Chairman Katie Damitz, 630-653-5659.