Journey back Inside The Blanket Fort as we continue our series of interviews from the 40th Annual Printers Row Lit Fest with Libby Hill, author of The Chicago River: A Natural and Unnatural History, the revised edition of which was published by SIU Press in 2019.
This widely acclaimed volume weaves the perspectives of science, engineering, commerce, politics, economics, and the natural world into a chronicle of the river from its earliest geologic history through its repeated adaptations to the city that grew up around it. While explaining the river’s role in massive public works, such as drainage and straightening, designed to address the infrastructure needs of a growing population, Hill focuses on the synergy between the river and the people of greater Chicago, whether they be the tribal cultures that occupied the land after glacial retreat, the first European inhabitants, or more recent residents.