The
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, historically known as the
Chicago Drainage Canal, is a long canal system that connects the
Chicago River to the
Des Plaines River. It reverses the direction of the Main Stem and the South Branch of the Chicago River, which now flows out of
Lake Michigan rather than into it. The related
Calumet-Saganashkee Channel does the same for the Calumet River a short distance to the south, joining the Chicago canal about half way along its route to the Des Plaines. The two provide the only navigation for ships between the
Great Lakes Waterway and the
Mississippi River system.