Bill Webb (BW Thoughts) sent this gorgeous historical mural from Ottawa, Illinois, U.S.A.

As I have often had to do, Bill shot the mural in segments. Here are the segments from left to right.

 Bill wrote:

“If you ride the I&M canal out from Chicago to the end,  about 80 miles in you come to Ottawa ( named after the Indian word for trade )”

“it is at the conflux of three rivers, and the canal goes through there( built in 1848 ), but as far back as the 1600’s the French traders settled here and traded furs with the Indian tribes of the region.”

 “The rivers were marshy and prone to flooding, so when the canal was built, little towns began to sprout up along the route, and goods and people began to flow West.   In many ways this town is still a sleepy place that mirrors small town America at its best.”

Bill (BW Fiction), thank you for the pics of this wonderful mural, and the thoughts to go with it!

 Pics taken May 31, 2014