How Did the Tradition of Dyeing the Chicago River Start for St. Patrick's Day?

Forty years ago a privately funded tradition started in Chicago to dye the river green for St. Patrick's Day.
In 1961 Stephen Bailey was making plans for the St. Patrick's Day Parade when a plumber walked into his office to discuss a personal matter. Bailey had an open door policy. When Bailey saw the perfect shade of Irish green on the plumber's coveralls, his eyes lit up. He wanted to know where he got the perfect shade of Irish green that was on his coveralls.

The plumber explained about the dye. He told Bailey that the dye he was using was to find the source of the waste that was being emptied into the Chicago River. The dye would be poured into various openings of the waste systems and it would expose the area of the discharge on the river's edge where the water turned green.

This was this year that the city started to enforce water pollution controls. There was a building that had been dumping waste into the Chicago River and this is how the miracle of turning the Chicago River green every year started.

Mike Butler and his employees are the ones who make the river turn a perfect shade of Irish green every year. He claims that a little leprechaun is also a very willing culprit in this miracle.

If you are fortunate enough to go to Chicago for the St. Patrick's Day parade you will be able to see the miracle that happens every year now for the last 43 years. If you go to this web site you can read more about the turning of the river green and how to help contribute to this expensive privately funded tradition.

Many other cities have tried to turn their rivers green but has not been as successful as Chicago. The miraculous experience of changing the river green starts by pouring an environmentally friendly orange dye into the water. It looks like a hoax or a bad prank until it starts to turn a beautiful shade Irish green.

Today this miracle belongs to Mike Butler and his crew, which he claims to always have a little help from a leprechaun who seems to just appear at this time each year.

Stephen Bailey has passed on but was quoted as saying, "The road from Chicago to Ireland is marked green.

Happy St. Patrick's Day and welcome to spring in Chicago and all over the country.