Canal Corridor Association

ABOUT US

The Canal Corridor Association preserves history, protects nature and open space, and creates destinations where people can learn and have fun in the I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor, from Lake Michigan in Chicago to the Illinois River in LaSalle/Peru.

The I&M Canal changed the nation in 1848 when it opened the first shipping route between New York and New Orleans, creating Chicago as the nation’s greatest inland port. In 1982, business and industry leaders founded the Canal Corridor Association to help revitalize the I&M Canal region, and created a national model for regional partnership, conservation and renewal. We enhance economic vitality by raising awareness of and expanding the parks, trails, landscapes, and historic sites that make the I&M Canal region a special place.

CCA manages the Gaylord Building, a National Trust Historic Site, in Lockport, Illinois. One of the oldest industrial buildings in the I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor, the Gaylord Building is a model of adaptive reuse, featuring the Public Landing restaurant, canal exhibits and more.