Abraham Lincoln’s connections to Ottawa were not limited to his 1858 debate with Stephen A. Douglas. He was also a staunch supporter of the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal.

Lincoln’s backing of the I&M Canal began in his earliest days in politics. As a first-term member of the Illinois House on Jan. 31, 1835, he voted for a measure to ensure the construction of the canal. The bill passed 40-12, 10 days later.

“Of course, the canal was discussed before Lincoln ever came to Illinois,” said Daniel Stowell, the former director and editor of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln project in Springfield. “But he supported the internal improvements measures in Illinois, which included the canal. He likely recalled his experience on flatboats floating down to New Orleans, and realized their value in moving goods on the water.”

The operation of the canal also piqued Lincoln’s interest. He introduced two amendments to streamline canal administration, including one on Feb. 3, to reduce the number of canal commissioners from five to three.

He also presented another in December to allow the governor to appoint and remove commissioners when the legislature was not in session. His first effort succeeded, but the second did not.

A longtime proponent of national infrastructure, Lincoln clearly recognized the economic value of the canal. He also saw that Illinois was not the only beneficiary.

“Lincoln believed development of the economy was dependent on transportation,” said Stowell. “He knew what canals, railroads, rivers and harbors meant to building national economic strength, and was very supportive of the government’s role in building transportation to get the economy going.”

As a freshman Congressman on June 20, 1848, he told the U.S. House that, “a very few days” following the canal’s opening in April, “we were all gratified to learn … that sugar had been carried from New Orleans through this canal.”

Noting that the “sugar took this route, doubtless because it was cheaper than the old route,” Lincoln declared that “the New Orleans merchant sold his sugar a little dearer, and the people of Buffalo sweetened their coffee a little cheaper, than before,” identifying “a benefit resulting from the canal, not to Illinois where the canal is, but to Louisiana and New York, where it is not.”

“The canal helped Eastern cities provide foodstuffs and other goods more cheaply,” said Stowell. “Lincoln also had a glimpse of how the canal connected Illinois more to the Northeast than the South. Before, trade from Illinois was more north-south, via the Mississippi River. But the canal gave Illinois a stronger tie to the East and its political and economic power.”

Some of Lincoln’s ideas for the canal backfired. His support of the canal reflected the popular desire in Illinois government for “internal improvements,” a comprehensive plan to build railroads, the canal and other means of infrastructure.

Those dreams were big, but finances were scarce in a state that was still developing. The effort ended in sweeping failure and stupendous debt.

With canal construction suspended due to money troubles, Lincoln called in 1840 for scrip to be issued to continue building the I&M. He argued in a speech to the Illinois House that those living along the canal believed the switch to scrip was worth the risk.

Unfortunately for Lincoln, that statement proved sorely false. In 1853, Illinois Gov. Joel Matteson nearly ended up in prison after illegally cashing over $223,000 of old canal scrip, touching off an embarrassing scandal.

“Lincoln would have been troubled by those failures,” Stowell said. “The state clearly overextended itself with the internal improvements plan. They tried to secure political support in every part of the state by attempting all of these projects, and should have focused on a few important ones, like the canal and a few railroads.”

In 1852, Lincoln was one of three special commissioners appointed by Matteson to investigate claims levied against the state for the operation and construction of the canal.

The future president conducted hearings in Ottawa, Chicago and Joliet throughout December of that year, preparing a lengthy report that he presented the following month. While in Ottawa, Lincoln and the commissioners rented the sheriff’s office to hold hearings.

Lincoln’s support for the I&M extended well into his White House years. On Dec. 1, 1862, he urged Congress to appropriate money to improve national infrastructure to aid the war effort.

He pointed to the “great canals of New York and Illinois as being of vital, and rapidly increasing importance to the whole nation.”

He wanted the I&M canal to handle more freight as well as military vessels, urging Congress to consider “enlarging the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and improving the Illinois River.” The legislature, however, did not comply with Lincoln’s request.

“Lincoln understood the importance of transportation to the war effort, and had seen the value of water routes like the Ohio River and the Great Lakes,” Stowell said. “As president, he watched large numbers of troops moving on the Potomac River. As commander-in-chief, he clearly saw that water routes like the canal could make a real difference in moving troops and supplies.”

The residents along the canal repaid Lincoln’s support in kind. At least three canal boats were named in his honor, starting with the Rail Splitter, launched from Morris in 1860. The next year, Old Abe of Joliet and A. Lincoln of Morris took to the waters.

The canal has proved an economic boon to the region ever since, first as a means of transport and more recently as a tourist attraction. The foresight of men like Abraham Lincoln helped the canal become an anchor of Starved Rock Country.

• Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Illinois. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.