Lockport, Illinois is both a city and a township in Will County, about thirty miles southwest of Chicago. Surrounding communities include Crest Hill, Crystal Lawns, Fairmont, Homer Glen, Joliet, Lemont, New Lenox, and Romeoville. The first permanent settler in the area that was to become Lockport was Armstead Runyon, who homesteaded along Fiddyment Creek in 1830. The settlement that grew up around his home was first known as Runyonstown. However, when the Illinois and Michigan Canal established its headquarters there in 1837, the town was platted and named Lockport, for the dam and port that was built there. The canal played a significant role in the economic growth of the state and Midwestern United States, and the new town soon had flour mills, grain warehouses, boatyards, and several businesses. Lockport was incorporated as a town in 1853. When the Chicago and Alton Railroad came in 1858, the city’s growth was spurred further. Construction of the Sanitary and Ship Canal and the Calumet-Sag Channel diminished the area’s importance in the grain trade, but the arrival of commuter train travel to Chicago and the establishment of the Chicago and Joliet Interurban Electric Railway in the early 1900s boosted the town’s economy, and it became a city in 1904. Today, the Lockport Historic District, an area including fifty-nine historic buildings is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Lockport Township encompasses and includes the city, although it operates as an independent governmental body.
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Recommended Resources
Agendas, minutes, a calendar of events, a historical profile, demographics, and employment opportunities with the city government are put forward on the official municipal web site. Other resources include a guide to local facilities and services, as well as the ability to make municipal payments online.
http://www.cityoflockport.net/
The not-for-profit organization is made up of businesses, professional people and others in the Lockport, Illinois region, offering promotional, educational, service, networking opportunities. The benefits of membership, meeting schedules, a calendar of events, and member services are featured.
https://lockportchamber.com/
Affiliated with the Loyal Order of Moose, a fraternal and service organization founded in 1888, the Lockport, Illinois lodge is located on East 10th Street. An introduction to the organization, a calendar of events, and meeting schedules are featured, and announcements are posted on its site.
http://www.lockportmoose.com/
The Illinois township encompasses the city of Lockport, Crest Hill, and Fairmont. The official township web site features a map of the township, a historical sketch, calendar of events, newsletter, township administrative office hours and contacts, announcements and public notices.
http://www.lockporttownship.com/
Situated on East Ninth Street, the Lockport, Illinois flower shop offers floral arrangements for all occasions, as well as live plants and custom orders. Directions, hours of operation, delivery policies, and contacts are given, and an online catalog allows for online shopping, with local delivery.
http://www.luckysflowers.com/
Owned by 22nd Century Media, the weekly Lockport, Illinois newspaper offers local and regional news and sports stories, opinion columns, life and arts features, advertising, and an overview of its membership policy, which offers full access to its digital content, news alerts, contests, and giveaways.
http://www.lockportlegend.com/
