Waukegan River
river in Waukegan, Illinois, United States
The Waukegan River, a small river in Lake County, Illinois, is a member of the very small class of Illinois rivers that flow into Lake Michigan. It drains part of the city of Waukegan, Illinois, including the city's historic downtown area. The river's drainage area comprises 7,785.63 acres. The drainage is managed by the city of Waukegan.
Geological features associated with the end of the Wisconsin glaciation ensured that most of that portion of Illinois that drains into the St. Lawrence River is covered in water. Only a thin strip of land on the extreme northeastern coast of Illinois naturally drains into Lake Michigan and from thence to Canada. The Waukegan River, a river of less than three miles in length, drains part of this ribbon-like strip. Only a short distance away, the western neighborhoods of Waukegan drain into the Des Plaines River, which flows in a completely different direction.
The mouth of the river is marked by Waukegan Harbor Light.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Waukegan River” as river in Waukegan, Illinois, United States. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as river in Waukegan, Illinois, United States. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 7, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q20710087. Authority coordinates are 42.356, -87.826. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Waukegan River”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Waukegan River primary sources, Waukegan River archive and Waukegan research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Waukegan River”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Waukegan River” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.