It is a tall order to tell the story of Chicago’s waterways and their emotional and prosperous impact on 19th, 20th and 21st century American growth. Since 1982, the Chicago Maritime Museum has collected more than 6,000 items that commemorate Chicago's maritime history, including ship models, articles, books, displays, art, images, and nautical artifacts. As a result, the new Chicago Maritime Museum is the ONLY museum in Chicago that adeptly tells the story of how Chicago's history and development stem from its axis between the Great Lakes and the waterways that flow into the Mississippi River. For generations, Chicago has been the busiest port in the world; our mission is to foster learning about the impact of the region’s waterways on Chicago’s evolution.