IN PERSON-How Geography and the I & M Canal Shaped Illinois by Dr. Wayne Duerkes, June 11, 2026 7:00 PM (Central)

This talk discusses how the forthcoming Illinois & Michigan Canal was pivotal in shaping the new state through its socio-economic influence early in the nation’s westward expansion.

Dr. Wayne Duerkes is a professional historian and author with over 30 years of experience in Illinois history, with an emphasis on the state’s northern tier and the Illinois & Michigan Canal in the nineteenth century. He is a faculty member at Illinois Valley Community College. He is on the Board of Directors for the Illinois State Historical Society. His first monograph, on market development in north-central Illinois in the Antebellum period, is under contract with the University of Illinois Press and is currently in second review. He is also working on an updated history of the Illinois & Michigan Canal.