Turn of the Century
During the beginning of the twentieth century, America was in the heart of the Progressive era which was characterized by clamor for reform. Reformers focused on all aspects of society including public health and urban planning. The Chicago River served as the sewage system for nineteenth century Chicago creating terrible sanitary conditions for city inhabitants. The river flowed directly into Lake Michigan, the source of the ciity's water. Prior attempts to allievate the situation failed until in 1900 engineers were able to successfully reverse the flow of the river. This did not solve the river's pollution problem but did help with the contamination of the city's water supply. With the immediate threat of disease and living conditions met, city leaders then turned to urban planning to create a Paris on the Prarie.
Prior to the turn of the century Chicago had established itself as a hub of manufacturing due to its position as the crossroads of many major railways connecting the East Coast with the West. To keep pace with its rapid growth business leaders formed a group that hired Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett to create an urban plan to improve the city. Finished in 1909 and presented to the city many of the proposals in the plan were implemented by successive mayors. This included the widening and arrangement of streets, lakefront improvements and many city parks. The plan shaped downtown Chicago and influenced development throughout the twentieth century.