Sag Bridge, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sag Bridge
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St. James Catholic Church and Cemetery
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 Sag Bridge
Location in Illinois
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| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Cook |
| Elevation | 623 ft (190 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Postal code |
60439
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| Area code(s) | 708 |
Sag Bridge, Illinois is a small community in Cook County, USA. It is an important place where two waterways meet: the Calumet Sag Channel and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Two main roads, IL 83 and IL 171, also meet here. They cross the Calumet Sag Channel together on a bridge. The community is named after this bridge. Sag Bridge is part of the nearby town of Lemont, Illinois.
Besides the bridge and canals, the most important landmark in Sag Bridge is the historic St. James at Sag Bridge Catholic Church. This church is so important that it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A Look Back at Sag Bridge's Past
Sag Bridge is located at a very special spot on the land. Long ago, two ancient rivers, the Sag Outlet and the DesPlaines Outlet, met here. They flowed from a huge, old lake called Lake Chicago. When these two outlets joined, they formed the Chicago Outlet River. This river eventually flowed into the Illinois River and then into the mighty Mississippi River.
These two outlets also created an area of land called Mount Forest Island. This island is now part of the Palos Forest Preserves. These preserves are managed by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.
For hundreds of years, the high land of Mount Forest Island was a great lookout point. Many Native American trails passed through this area. One of these old trails became the modern road we know today as Archer Avenue (Illinois Route 171).
In 1673, a French explorer named Father Jacques Marquette visited the French fort here several times. He was traveling along the Des Plaines River.
The community of Sag Bridge began when workers were building the Illinois and Michigan Canal. They built their historic church in 1833. In the mid-1800s, rock quarries opened here. This was because there was plenty of good stone and easy transportation on the nearby canal. Even though the quarries are not used anymore, businesses still sell stone products in the Sag Bridge area today.
The original bridge that gave the community its name is no longer there. Only a small piece of the old Archer Avenue remains. This part now leads to a spot where people can go fishing and hiking in the Sag Quarries area.
On March 27, 1991, a tornado hit the area. It caused a lot of damage to Lemont and Sag Bridge. The historic St. James Church and its cemetery were also damaged.
The Bridge at Sag Bridge Today
The bridge that stands at Sag Bridge now was built in 1934. It carries both IL 83 and IL 171 across the Calumet Sag Channel. This bridge is a classic, four-lane Pennsylvania through truss bridge. It is still strong and safe to use.
However, the bridge is considered "Functionally obsolete." This means it is not designed for the amount of traffic it handles today. There is often a lot of traffic, especially at the busy five-way intersection just north of the bridge. This is where routes 83 and 171 split off.
