Fun Illinois question 3/28/08 (Chicago, Peoria, Springfield: work, house, gangs)

[Steve-o]

What is your favorite/most intruiging bit of Illinois history?

Im gonna go with the Indian Creek massacre and the Chicago gangster days. That history is a bit grim, but I find it quite fascinating.

What about you guys?

[cobolt]

You know..interestingly enough I was reading this book last night...It's called "Lost Chicago" and it chronicles the old architecture of the city. It mainly focuses on structures built before the Chicago Fire and more specifically, the structures built immediately thereafter, most of which were demolished by the mid to late 1960's. You really get a sense of the grandeur of the city...and it drives home the fact that architecture was really born in Chicago. Not only that, but there were some pretty magnificent and oppulent buildings which served a whole class of Chicago "royalty." Seeing the original Carson, PierreI, Scott building was pretty cool. think the way people reacted to the fire and the rebuilding of the city thereafter is simply amazing. I had no idea, for instance, that once much of the debris stopped smoking and smoldering, it was dumped on the shores of Lake Mich in order to extend the shoreline. Much of fire debris is under the greenery that is now Grant Park. At first Chicagoans simply couldn't grasp the magnatude of the fire. The day after, people were heading "downtown" for work, only to realize that much of it was gone. Several million dollars of the city's money was storehoused in a large metal safe that was thought to be fireproof, but with temperatures reaching well over 3000 degrees, well, the money burned as well. There are pictures of the city rebuilding efforts and there is such a noticeable difference and growth only 6 weeks after the fire. In one of the pics, you see burnt buildings, charred remains, and rubble on the Mag Mile, but there's the Water Tower, still standing. I mean, we see this stuff now in the framework of our current architecture but to see it standing amid all the ruins back then, that's really something.

[gardener34]

Probably the al capone/gangster history. Because husband's relatives lived in Cicero at the time this was all going on. He has some interesting family stories for sure. And we also lived in Cicero for many years. That town has some "stories".

[breer23]

Being from Springfield originally, I enjoy most things about Abe Lincoln.

Also, the stories of the pre-Manhattan Project work at Old Stagg Field at the Univ. of Chicago are pretty fascinating (search under Chicago Pile-1).

On the seedier side of things, probably the exploits of John Wayne Gacy (who also resided in Spfld. in the 1960's).

[gardener34]

Posting again: But second would be "the chicago fire". Because my west side irish relatives were in it. I have researched it extensively.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by cobolt

You know..interestingly enough I was reading this book last night...It's called "Lost Chicago" and it chronicles the old architecture of the city. It mainly focuses on structures built before the Chicago Fire and more specifically, the structures built immediately thereafter, most of which were demolished by the mid to late 1960's. You really get a sense of the grandeur of the city...and it drives home the fact that architecture was really born in Chicago. Not only that, but there were some pretty magnificent and oppulent buildings which served a whole class of Chicago "royalty." Seeing the original Carson, PierreI, Scott building was pretty cool. think the way people reacted to the fire and the rebuilding of the city thereafter is simply amazing. I had no idea, for instance, that once much of the debris stopped smoking and smoldering, it was dumped on the shores of Lake Mich in order to extend the shoreline. Much of fire debris is under the greenery that is now Grant Park. At first Chicagoans simply couldn't grasp the magnatude of the fire. The day after, people were heading "downtown" for work, only to realize that much of it was gone. Several million dollars of the city's money was storehoused in a large metal safe that was thought to be fireproof, but with temperatures reaching well over 3000 degrees, well, the money burned as well. There are pictures of the city rebuilding efforts and there is such a noticeable difference and growth only 6 weeks after the fire. In one of the pics, you see burnt buildings, charred remains, and rubble on the Mag Mile, but there's the Water Tower, still standing. I mean, we see this stuff now in the framework of our current architecture but to see it standing amid all the ruins back then, that's really something.

Very cool indeed.

[breer23]

Originally Posted by cobolt

You know..interestingly enough I was reading this book last night...It's called "Lost Chicago" and it chronicles the old architecture of the city. It mainly focuses on structures built before the Chicago Fire and more specifically, the structures built immediately thereafter, most of which were demolished by the mid to late 1960's. You really get a sense of the grandeur of the city...and it drives home the fact that architecture was really born in Chicago. Not only that, but there were some pretty magnificent and oppulent buildings which served a whole class of Chicago "royalty." Seeing the original Carson, PierreI, Scott building was pretty cool. think the way people reacted to the fire and the rebuilding of the city thereafter is simply amazing. I had no idea, for instance, that once much of the debris stopped smoking and smoldering, it was dumped on the shores of Lake Mich in order to extend the shoreline. Much of fire debris is under the greenery that is now Grant Park. At first Chicagoans simply couldn't grasp the magnatude of the fire. The day after, people were heading "downtown" for work, only to realize that much of it was gone. Several million dollars of the city's money was storehoused in a large metal safe that was thought to be fireproof, but with temperatures reaching well over 3000 degrees, well, the money burned as well. There are pictures of the city rebuilding efforts and there is such a noticeable difference and growth only 6 weeks after the fire. In one of the pics, you see burnt buildings, charred remains, and rubble on the Mag Mile, but there's the Water Tower, still standing. I mean, we see this stuff now in the framework of our current architecture but to see it standing amid all the ruins back then, that's really something.

There is a great local PBS (WTTW) series that talks about this as well, done by Geoffrey Baer (WTTW - Geoffrey Baer). While I haven't seen all of them, the river boat tour and the El train tours were really neat.

[Manigault]

Either the Chicago Fire (It burned from Taylor street to Fullerton; i.e. 34 blocks! Oxygen was depleted from the air, like at Dresden.) or

The Joseph Smith assassination in Nauvoo. Support Mormon reparations!

[LakeShoreSoxGo]

the manhattan project.

[tomb227]

Peoria own Richard Pryor