[1][2][3] 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.

Only a short distance away, the western neighborhoods of Waukegan drain into the Des Plaines River, which flows in a completely different direction.

[1][2] The mouth of the river is marked by Waukegan Harbor Light.

This article related to a river in Illinois is a stub.