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A view from the bottom of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal shows two bridges on the day that water began to fill the canal.

A view of the spoil banks, called the "Sierra Mountains," shows several piles of earth created by the digging of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

Two women pose for a photograph standing in front of the spoil banks created by the digging of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

Trustees of the Sanitary District of Chicago stand with shovels while awaiting approval to open the Bear Trap Dam at Lockport, which would send the water from the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal into the Des Plaines River, eventually reaching the…

Trustees of the Sanitary District of Chicago break the temporary dam at the west fork of the south branch of the Chicago River to allow water from Lake Michigan to begin filling the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

Governor John Riley Tanner meets with members of the Canal Commissioners, the Special Inspection Commissioners, and the Trustees of the Sanitary District of Chicago to determine whether or not the state will issue permissions to open the main…

United States Navy Admiral George Dewey and his party walk down a flight of stairs to a waiting boat at McCook for a trip over Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

United States Navy Admiral George Dewey and his party board a train at McCook for a trip over the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

Spectators on the shore watch as United States Navy Admiral George Dewey's ship arrives at the base of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport.

Passengers stand on the deck of the Sanitary District's ship "Juliet," the first craft to navigate the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The Bear Trap Dam is visible in the background.

Men stand on a structure watching as the flagship "Hinda," carrying United States Navy Admiral George Dewey, enters Windage Basin at the base of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport.

Five thousand people stand on the banks awaiting the arrival of United States Navy Admiral George Dewey and his party at the Controlling Works at the base of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport.

Five thousand people await the arrival of United States Navy Admiral George Dewey and his party at the Controlling Works at the base of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport.

Poem written by Isham Randolph, the engineer who oversaw the construction of the Sanitary and Ship Canal. The poem refers to United States Navy Admiral George Dewey's visit to Lockport after the canal opened. The poem reads: "Glad welcome gallant…

Trustees of the Sanitary District of Chicago pose for a group photo atop the Bear Trap Dam located at the base of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport.

Trustees of the Sanitary District of Chicago pose for a group photo on a bridge located at the base of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport.

Trustees of the Sanitary District of Chicago pose for a group photo at the base of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport. The Bear Trap Dam is visible in the background on the left.

A view of the Bear Trap Dam, located at the base of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport, shows a closed floodgate on the dam.

A man and a woman pose for a picture at the bottom of the Bear Trap dam located at the base of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport.

A view of the Bear Trap Dam shows a floodgate.

A man sits on a large concrete pillar in front of the Bear Trap Dam located at the base of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport.

Construction materials lie next to the Bear Trap Dam at the base of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport.

Preston King, a former U.S. Senator from New York, comments on the shock and grief gripping the nation in the wake of the assassination of President Lincoln. King also expresses his confidence in President Andrew Johnson.

Wealthy Boston merchant Gardner Brewer writes to a "Mrs. Alexander" about Lincoln's assassination and its impact on the nation.

Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch signed this notice requiring all members of the U.S. Department of the Treasury to wear black crepe bands on their left arm for a period of six months in honor of the memory of President Lincoln.