Waterborne diseases were, at one time, the largest health threat to human life. In the 19th century, it was not uncommon to contract typhoid or cholera in the morning and be dead by evening. Chicago treated the Chicago River as its dumping grounds for all manner of waste, including human and animal waste from slaughter houses located along its banks. In August 1834, the steamboat Chicago arrived in port with its captain reporting two of its crew had died from cholera. The Chicago townsfolk demanded action, as the city had gone four days without an incident of cholera. Fears of a cholera epidemic resulted in the creation of the Chicago Board of Health (CBoH) in 1835.
Although the CBoH made great strides in staving off cholera — and other diseases — there continued to be outbreaks. In 1854, 1,424 deaths were attributed to cholera, while another 242 died from dysentery along with 210 more from diarrhea (both of which may well have been cholera). On average, for every 100,000 people, 65 Chicagoans would die from typhoid every year. Stephen A. Douglas who ran for president in 1860, succumbed to typhoid fever on June 3, 1861 in Chicago. The connection between good sanitation and waterborne diseases were now understood to be closely tied together. Potable water is drawn from Lake Michigan: The citizens of Chicago were drinking their own toilet water.