• What Happened to Chicago’s Water Cribs?

  • Apr 17 2025
  • Length: 7 mins
  • Podcast

What Happened to Chicago’s Water Cribs?

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  • Summary

  • Miles off the Chicago shoreline, strange round structures rise from Lake Michigan. Most people think they’re lighthouses—but they’re not. These are Chicago’s water cribs: massive, abandoned intake towers once connected to the city by miles of underwater tunnels. They brought clean drinking water to millions… at a deadly cost.In this episode, we uncover the forgotten story of Chicago’s offshore water cribs. You’ll discover how they were built, the brutal dangers faced by workers known as “sandhogs,” and the fires, storms, and disasters that struck these isolated bunkers. Today, they’re rarely talked about—yet they remain hidden in plain sight on the lake’s horizon.
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