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  • Ancient & Prehistoric Illinois
  • Illinois Forts ~ 1600s +
  • Illinois Frontier and Indian History
  • More Fascinating Illinois History
  • Defunct Illinois Amusement Parks
  • Chicago Stories
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Ancient & Prehistoric Illinois

Ancient and Frontier Fortifications in Illinois.
Ancient Chicago Indian Mounds. 
Ancient Illinois History Beginning on the Supercontinent of Pangaea.
Ancient Illinois Indian Mounds - A Technical Examination. 
Ancient Lake Chicago becomes Lake Michigan as glacier retreats over 14,000 years ago. 
Archaeologists in East St. Louis, Illinois, dig to find an ancient civilization that vanished.
Cahokia Mounds and the Indian Village of Cahokia. 
Cahokia's Woodhenge History.
Ceremonial Road Discovered in the Ancient City of Cahokia.
Did Megafloods Spell the End of the Ancient City of Cahokia? 
Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals of Illinois.
Female Skeletons Identified as Nobles found in Cahokia's 'Beaded Burial' Mound 72. 
Fossils of 310 million-year-old "H" & "Y" Animals discovered at Mazon Creek, Braidwood, IL.
How Glacial Melt & Earthquakes Realigned Ancient Rivers and Changed Illinois Borders. 
Illiniwek (Illinois tribe) Grand Village History (aka La Vantum; Old Kaskaskia Village)
Illiniwek (Illinois tribe) History in the Illinois Country. 
Illiniwek (Illinois tribe) Indians bid for power in the late 1600s based on bison and slavery. 
Illiniwek (Illinois tribe) Massacred at the Grand Village by the Iroquois and its Aftermath.
Illiniwek (Illinois tribe) women and their place in the Indian society.
Indian Trails - Green Bay Trail, aka "Old Jambeau Trail," Chicago to Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Indian Trails - The Vincennes Trace.
Indian village found in 1993 buried under the Sanctuary Golf Course in New Lenox, Illinois.
Legend of the Piasa "Bird" which is carved and painted on a bluff in today's Alton, Illinois.
Looters of Prehistoric Archeological Sites a Big Problem in Illinois and Mississippi Valley.
Monks Mound at Cahokia was built in decades, not 250 years as previously thought. 
Out Of Place ARTifacts (OOPArt) found in Illinois. 
Paleo-Indian Migration to North America & Ready/Lincoln Hills Site, Jersey County, Illinois 
Paleo-Indians of the Albany (Hopewell) Mounds in Albany, Illinois.
Piney Creek Ravine, near Chester, has the largest collection of prehistoric rock art in Illinois.
Prehistoric Shark Nursery Fossils Found in Illinois. 
Prehistoric Stone Fort in Illinois' Shawnee National Forest.
Study of Pre-Historic Man in Whiteside County, Illinois, from the 1870s. 
Tully Monster, Illinois' Great Fossil Mystery, Solved!
What Caused the Fire that Destroyed the Ancient City of Cahokia?

Illinois Forts ~ 1600s +

[FR] French Fort           [IN] Indian Fort           [BR] British Fort          [US] American Fort
Fort St. Louis du Rocher, [FR]
on Starved Rock.
Fort Sturdivant [Citizen]

Illinois Frontier and Indian History

1711 French Settlement is the beginning of today's Peoria, Illinois.
1813 “Peoria War” was a big part of the elimination of Indians in Illinois.
1814 Wood River, Illinois Massacre.
1816 Treaty of St. Louis and the 1821 and 1833 Treaties of Chicago. 
Anna Pierce Hobbs Bixby (1812–1873) a frontier doctor and scientist in southern Illinois.
Billy Caldwell; The Life & Times of a True Chicagoan.
Black Hawk War and Illinois’ Role (April to August of 1832).
Bloody Autumn at Nauvoo (Mormon Town), Illinois in 1845.
Buried Under Budlong Farm, the World's Largest Pickle Farm in Bowmanville (Chicago), IL.
Cahokia Mounds and the Indian Village of Cahokia. 
Cahokia's Woodhenge History.
Cave-In-Rock checkered past. The cave is on the Ohio River in Hardin County, Illinois.
Cemetery History of Early Chicago.
Charles Jouett, the First U.S. Indian Agent Residing at Chicago. 
Chicago: The Origin and Meaning of the Name (Chicagoua).
Chicago as a Hunting Post.
Chicago River Calamity of 1849 took out all the bridges over the Chicago River. 
Chicago Area Indian Villages were a mixture of tribes.
Chicago's First Resident, Antoine Ouilmette, July 1790-1826.
Christiana and John Tillson, Illinois Pioneers.
Did a French "Fort Chécagou" (Chicagoua) really exist at the mouth of the Chicago River?
Exploring Seventeenth Century "Pais des Illinois," the Illinois Country.
Father Pére Jacques Marquette's Death, his Last Two Years. (1673-1675) 
Fence Laws of Frontier Illinois.
First Frenchman in Southern Illinois turns out to be a Poacher.
Fort Dearborn Massacre of 1812; a brutal historical account & in-depth analysis. [PG-13]
"Free Frank" McWorter paid for his freedom from slavery and bought his family's freedom.
Free Negroes in Illinois Prior to the Civil War, 1818-1860
French Chicago during the Eighteenth Century.
French Life in the Illinois Country, from Canada to Louisiana, in the 1700s.
Galena Illinois' Old Stockade used during the Black Hawk War 1832.
Gurdon Hubbard arrived in Chicago before the Town of Chicago was incorporated in 1833.
Henri de Tonti and his Connection with what would become Illinois. (1650-1704)
History of Prairie du Rocher, Illinois. Originally a French Settlement/Fort.
History of the Illinois Country from 1673-1782.
History of the Meskwaki (Fox) Indian Tribe; Searching for Fort du Renards (Fort Fox).
How the City of Newton and Jasper County, Illinois, got their names. 
Ill-fated ship of an ill-fated explorer of the Illinois Country reportedly found in Lake Michigan.
Illiniwek (Illinois tribe) Grand Village History (aka La Vantum; Old Kaskaskia Village)
Illiniwek (Illinois tribe) History in the Illinois Country. 
Illiniwek (Illinois tribe) Indians bid for power in the late 1600s based on bison and slavery. 
Illiniwek (Illinois tribe) Massacred at the Grand Village by the Iroquois and its Aftermath.
Illinois Country - Great Plains Indians before French Colonization in the mid-1600s.
Illinois County Boundaries Maps from 1790-1859.
Illinois 'River Pirates' in the Northwest Territory in the 1790s.
Illinois Territory 15 Counties between 1909 and Statehood in 1818, with a map. 
Illinois Woman Suffrage Association; "Ahead of their time."
Important Chicago Firsts by the Kinzie Family. 
Indian Trails - Green Bay Trail, aka "Old Jambeau Trail," Chicago to Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Indian Trails - The Vincennes Trace. 
Institute of Slavery in Illinois. 
James Ford, Leader of Ford's Ferry Gang - River Pirates.
James Semple is a Classic Example of a Prairie Entrepreneur.
Jean Baptiste La Lime was Chicago's first murder victim; killed by John Kinzie in 1812.
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, Chicago's First Black, Non-Native Settler.
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable; Searching for the true location of his 1790 Chécagou farm.
Jean-Gabriel Cerré's success in French & British régimes during the Revolutionary War.
John Duff, the late eighteenth century Illinois counterfeiter.
John Jones, a free Negro, used his house & office as Chicago Underground Railroad Stops.
John Kinzie House Chronology, Chicago.
John Kinzie, one of Chicago's Founding Fathers.
John Messinger (1771-1846), the Messinger Schoolhouse and Cemetery in Swansea, IL.
Kaskaskia Indian Reservation in Illinois.
Kickapoo and Mascouten Tribes History in the Illinois Country. 
Kinderhook Plates - Discovered in 1843 in an Indian mound near Kinderhook, Illinois.
Lee's Place / Hardscrabble, Illinois, today's Bridgeport community of Chicago.
Life in Post-Colonial Illinois for French Women and Families.
"Life of Black Hawk" as dictated by himself.
Negroes, Race, and Ethnicity in Illinois and the North during the Civil War.
Old French Village; Today's Peoria.
One Man's Story of "Indian-Hating" in the Illinois Country Frontier.
Peoria War of 1813 was a big part of the elimination of Indians in Illinois.
Philippe de Rocheblave, a Military Opportunist in the Illinois Country.
Pierre Menard House at 4230 Kaskaskia Road in Ellis Grove, Illinois.
Plains Indians in Illinois before the French Colonization of Mississippi Valley in mid-1700s.
Potawatomi Tribal History including the Potawatomi of the Prairie.
Prairie du Rocher, Illinois, History.
Rough and Ready in Illinois. Zachary Taylor's daring exploits in the Prairie State. 
Samuel A. Whiteside, an Illinois pioneer, and military hero.
Senachwine (Difficult Current), a Potawatomi Chief's Biography. (1744-1831)
Southern Illinois; A brief history.
Starved Rock Massacre of 1769 - Fact or Fiction.
Susan Simmons Winans. The Last Known Survivor of the Chicago Fort Dearborn Massacre.
The Marquette and Jolliet "Cross" Chicago, Illinois.
The Monk and the Earthquake at Cahokia Mounds in Illinois Territory, 1811-1812.
The word "Grocery" had a different meaning before the 20th century. 
Turkey Hill in St. Clair County was a settlement of free Negroes decades before Civil War.
William Henry Harrison, Steals Western Illinois from the Sauk and Fox Indian Tribes.
William Wells; Indians kidnapped at 13; Indian warrior fights for U.S. at Fort Dearborn.

More Fascinating Illinois History

3-Wheel Velocipede (Handcar) in Effingham, Illinois.
1917 Race Riots in East St. Louis, Illinois.
1968 Illinois earthquake, a "New Madrid Fault event," was the largest recorded in the state. 
Abraham Lincoln and Mary, newlyweds, rented apartment at Globe Tavern 1842-1844. 
Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd. A Surprising, Enduring Union.
Abraham Lincoln came near death from smallpox. 
Abraham Lincoln's Christmas Legend. 
Abraham Lincoln's First Beard at 51 years old in November of 1860. 
Abraham Lincoln’s Ghost Captured by Photographer in 1872. 
Abraham Lincoln - Grave Robbers try to steal the President's body in 1876.
Abraham Lincoln - How Negros in Early Springfield Influenced his views on race.
Abraham Lincoln Institutes centralized banking to fund Union in the Civil War on 3/3/1863. 
Abraham Lincoln’s Last Christmas. 
Abraham Lincoln's Law Partner, William H. Herndon's 200th Birthday was Dec. 25, 2018.
Abraham Lincoln Life Masks. 
Abraham Lincoln's 'Lost Speech' from "Major's Hall" in Bloomington, Illinois in 1856.
Abraham Lincoln Loved Cats, Dogs, Goats, a Pig, a Turkey and of course, his Horse. 
Abraham Lincoln - Maxims Attributed to Lincoln were penned 50 years after his death. 
Abraham Lincoln's Mystery of the exterior color of Lincoln's funeral train car... Solved! 
Abraham Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site in Illinois. 
Abraham Lincoln's Nomination in Chicago in 1860.
Abraham Lincoln's Premature Aging from 1860 thru 1865.
Abraham Lincoln Quashes Gen. Ulysses Grant's Order of Expulsion of Southern Jews.
Abraham Lincoln - Statement attributed to Lincoln during his presidential campaign, or ?
Abraham Lincoln - Stephen Douglas Debates; the First being held on August 21, 1858.
Abraham Lincoln, Teetotaler member of the 'Long Nine', Really Enjoyed a Good Party.
Abraham Lincoln - The History of Illinois' Lincoln Trail. 
Abraham Lincoln, the only U.S. President to Hold a Patent. 
Abraham Lincoln, the Pilgrims, and a determined editor invented Thanksgiving Day.
Abraham Lincoln used "Blue Mass" (mercury pills) to treat some of his health issues.
Abraham Lincoln Watermelon Monument in Lincoln, Illinois, Town Christening in 1853.
Abraham Lincoln was challenged to a duel to the death by James Shields, State Auditor.
Abraham Lincoln was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. 
Alta May Hulett, age 19, became the first woman admitted to the Illinois bar in 1873. 
Ambler Texaco Gasoline Station on Route 66 in Dwight, Illinois.
America’s First Black Town, Brooklyn, Illinois founded in the 1820s (aka: Lovejoy, Illinois).
American Bottom. The Story of the Illinois portion.
American Distilling Company, Pekin, Illinois. (1894-1920) 
Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, in Wilmette, Illinois.
Artist Ivan Albright's History and Family Log House in Hubbard Woods, Winnetka, Illinois.
Bachelor's Grove Cemetery in Midlothian, Illinois, Haunted History.
Barack Obama Day; August 4, 2018, is the first day of this President's holiday in Illinois.
Battle of Barrington [Illinois], November 27, 1934 - John Dillinger.
Belleville, Illinois' Brewery History.
Benjamin Henry Grierson (1826-1911), Civil War Union General.
Betty Friedan, a Peoria, Illinois native, helped spark a new wave of feminism.
Bielfeldt Brewing Company and the History of Thornton Illinois Breweries.
Bowe Brothers of Co. "D" 66th Illinois Volunteer Infantry in "Birge's Western Sharpshooters."
Broadwell Inn & Tavern dates back to 1824 in Clayville, Illinois.
Brown's Chicken Massacre in the Palatine, Illinois, Restaurant on January 8, 1993. 
Bunker Hill, a city in Southern Illinois, was Leveled by the 1948 Tornado.
Cahokia Courthouse, a reconstructed New France [post on sill] structure built about 1740.
Camp Skokie Valley (Army), a CCC (New Deal project) in Harms Woods in Glenview.
Carol Moseley Braun was the first black woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992. 
Cave-In-Rock checkered past. The cave is on the Ohio River in Hardin County, Illinois.
Cayuga, Illinois History begins well before Route 66 came through town.
Centralia, Illinois, Mine № 5 (in Wamac, Illinois) Disaster of March 25, 1947. In-depth.
Chain of Rocks Bridge, Chouteau Island, Illinois.
Charles Birger, a Southern Illinois mobster. The full story. 
Charles Dadant, Bee-Culturist and the American Bee Journal in Hamilton, Illinois. (est.1861)
Charles Dawes from Evanston; WWI General, 30th U.S. V.P., Ambassador to Great Britain.
Cherry, Illinois Mine Disaster of November 13, 1909.
Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railroad history - from the beginning. 
Chicago Cholera Cemetery, also known as the Lake and Wabash Burial Site. (1832)
Chicago, Wilmington & Franklin Coal Co. Orient № 2 Mine Explosion, 12-21-1951. 
Cholera Epidemic in Illinois; nicknamed the "Plague on the Prairie," in 1833.
Cicero, Illinois Race Riot of 1951.
Cora Agnes Benneson, born Quincy, Illinois. Early Lawyer, Reformer, Scholar. (1851-1919)
Daniel Dove Collins House in Collinsville, Illinois on Route 66 (built 1845).
Dick Taylor, "Father of the Greenback," businessman, politician, and soldier from Illinois. 
Did a Cook County Illinois Sheriff arrest, Resurrection Mary?
District 6 Illinois State Police HQ history, in Pontiac, Illinois on Route 66. (1942-2003)
Dr. A. Louise Klehm: Niles Center (Skokie) Illinois' First Lady of Family Practice. 
Ebsen's Swimming School in Belleville, Illinois.
Eldorado Illinois' Founding History.
Elgin & Belvidere Interurban 36-mile line between Belvidere and Elgin, Illinois. (1907-1930) 
Elgin Illinois First Airport, (42.07 North / 88.29 West)
Elizabeth "Betsey" Reed was hung in 1845 as Illinois' First Female Serial Killer. 
Elsah, Illinois... The Village Frozen In Time.
Energy, Illinois' Calaboose (Jail) History.
Excelsior Press Brick Company at Gregg's Milk Station (Westmont), Illinois. (1872-1875)
F. W. Woolworth Co., the old days when they sold baby turtles in their pet departments.
Famous Sulphur Springs Resort in the City of Creal Springs, Illinois.
Food - Amy Joy Donuts, a small chain in Illinois, lost to time. 
Food - Anderson's Candy Shop in Richmond, Illinois. 
Food - Bagel Restaurant and Deli of Skokie & Chicago, Illinois.
Food - Bill's Drive-In, Evanston, Illinois. 
Food - Burger Chef Restaurant History. Many stores in Illinois. 
Food - Chicago-Style foods explained with pictures.
Food - Choo-Choo Diner in Des Plaines, Illinois. 
Food - Cozy Dog Drive-In on Sixth Street in Springfield, Illinois. On Route 66. 
Food - Elliott's Pine Log Restaurant & Lounge, Skokie; The Real Story." (1939-1988) 
Food - Farrell Ice Cream Parlour Restaurants in Illinois. 
Food - Harlo Grill in Melrose Park, Illinois. Another lost 1950s diner structure. 
Food - Harold's Chicken Shack, locally famous in the Chicago area.  
Food - Ike Sander’s Restaurants in Bloomington, Illinois.
Food - Kow Kow Chinese Restaurant, Lincolnwood, from Chicago, Illinois. (1949-2015).
Food - Maurice Lenell Cooky Company's History, Chicago-Norridge, Illinois. 
Food - Milk Pail Restaurant and Country Stores in Dundee, Illinois.
Food - Peacock Ice Cream Company in Evanston, Illinois. 
Food - Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store in Oak Park, Illinois.
Food - Sandy's Drive-Ins of Illinois. 
Food - Sparky's Snack Shop at Oakton Street and Monticello Avenue in Skokie, Illinois. 
Food - Uncle Andy's Cow Palace in Palatine, Illinois (1964-1978)
Food - V8 Vegetable Juice was created in Evanston, Illinois. 
Food - Victoria Station Restaurants in Illinois. 
Food - Wally's Deli in the Milk Pail, Lincolnwood, Illinois. 
Food - White Fence Farm Restaurant on Route 66 in Romeoville, Illinois.
Food - Wimpy Grills in the Chicagoland area. (1934-1978)
Fractional Penny Sales Tax Tokens In Illinois. 
Frank Long House of Oak Park, Illinois.
Future City, Illinois, the Town that Washed Away.
Henry Harms, founder of Skokie and Harms Park Restaurant - Picnic Grounds in Chicago.
Henry Holstein and Grist Mill at Irving Park and Roselle Roads in Bloomingdale, Illinois.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, a Brief Biography of a Chicagoan. 
History of Carmi, Illinois.
History of Millstadt, Illinois.
How did land from Niles, Illinois become a small subdivision of Chicago on Touhy Avenue?
How Illinois was affected by the "Mississippi Bubble" in the early 18th century. 
How two Illinois men helped keep Adolph Hitler from developing the atomic bomb.
Illinois becomes the 21st State of the Union on December 3, 1818.
Illinois Central Railroad Company vs. the State of Illinois. Lake Michigan Usage (1892)
Illinois Central Railroad Station [Springfield Union Station] in Springfield, Illinois History.
Illinois County Boundaries Maps from 1790-1859.
Illinois on the west side of the Mississippi River - Missouri on the east side of the river.
Illinois' Black Laws aka Black Codes.
Illinois' First Penitentiary in Alton unfit for prisoners - closed 1860. Then came the Civil War.
Illinois' Negro World War I Regiment. The Forgotten Story. 
Illinois' portion of the Cannon Ball Route.
Is a Native American tribe one of the Lost Tribes of Israel? Exploring the possibility.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, "Sports Illustrated for Women" top female athlete 20th century.
James Benton Parsons, first Black Federal Judge; served the Northern Illinois court. 1961
Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State, Biography.
John Crenshaw's 'Old Slave House' and "Reverse Underground Railroad" in Equality, IL
John Stevens, Naperville Illinois' First Professional Builder.
John Washington Barker, Life and Times of a 131st Illinois Civil War Infantry Man.
Josephine Garis Cochrane, the inventor of the Dishwasher.
Krauss Building at 209 W. High Street, Freeburg, Illinois, history.
Keeley Institute, Dwight, Illinois & Keeley Day at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
Keeneyville, a Bedroom Community in unincorporated DuPage County, Illinois.
Kinsella Two-Story Log Cabin (1854), Fairview Heights. 1st Interior Shots Since 1976.
Kit Houses - Harris Brothers Co. / Chicago House Wrecking Co., Chicago. (1893-1933)
Kit Houses - Lustron Homes - A mid-century attempt at future prefab houses. (1947-1950)
Kit Houses - Sears Modern Homes - History, floorplans, popular Illinois choice. (1908-1940)
► The story of my private tour of a Sears Modern Home in Carlinville, Illinois.
Labor and Industry Museum in Belleville Illinois.
Legal Alcohol that was available during the prohibition years in Illinois.
Lewis Round Barn and Museum in the village of Mendon, Adams County, Illinois.
Libby Prison War Museum was in Chicago from 1889 to 1897. 
Lighthouse - Grosse Pointe, Illinois.
Lighthouse - Little Fort, Illinois and the Story of the Little Fort Lighthouse.
Lighthouse - Port Clinton, Illinois and the Story of the Port Clinton Lighthouse.
Lighthouse - Taylorsport, Illinois and the Story of the Taylorsport Lighthouse.
Lillian Honeywell Beall, age 20, the youngest college professor in the United States.
Lincoln, the Illinois County that Never Was.
Log Cabin Inn on Route 4 which later became Route 66 through Pontiac, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Africa, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Alpine, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Babcock's Grove, Illinois. 
Lost Towns of Illinois - Benjaminville, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Brush Hill, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Brush Point, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Cass, Illinois & Lace, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Danby, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Dunton, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - DuPage Center, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Elm Point, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Elton, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Forksville, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Fullersburg, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Goshen Settlement.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Half Day, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Half Way, Illinois & Halfway, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Harlem, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Illinoistown
Lost Towns of Illinois - Miles Station, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Mormon Town, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - New Philadelphia, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Newton's Station, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - No Man's Land, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Ontarioville, Illinois. 
Lost Towns of Illinois - Port Clinton, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Prospect Park, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Rand, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Sangamo Town, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Science, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Stacy's Corners, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Strasburg, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - St. Philippe, Illinois. 
Lost Towns of Illinois - Taylorsport, Illinois.
Lost Towns of Illinois - Wabonsia, Illinois.
Lucy Ella Gonzales Parsons, Chicago, Illinois. More Dangerous than a Thousand Rioters.
Lydia Moss Bradley, Philanthropist, and Founder of Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois.
Macoupin County Jail in Carlinville, Illinois. (1869-1988)
Maeystown, Illinois, the 1852 German Village that time forgot. Lots of Personal Photos.
Manuel, a slave in 1779, as historical accounts say, was burned for witchcraft in Illinois.
Marguerite Stitt Church, Congresswoman.
Martin-Boismenue House History in East Carondelet Illinois with my personal Photos.
Mary Ann McMorrow was the first female Supreme Court Justice in Illinois.
Mary Ann Todd Lincoln and son Robert in the midst of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire.
Mary Ann Todd Lincoln, an in-depth look at her life. 
Mattoon, Illinois' Mad Gasser.
Maud Powell, an American Violinist Pioneer. (1867-1920)
Mississippi River Crossing - Ste. Genevieve-Modoc Ferry, Modoc, Illinois.
Mother Jones; The Life and Times of Mary Harris, Union Organizer the "Miners Angel."
Mystery of the Exterior Color of President Lincoln's Funeral Train Car... Solved!
National Road aka Cumberland Road, including the Illinois portion.
Nicholas Jarrot Mansion, Illinois' Oldest Brick House with blueprints, Cahokia, Illinois. (1806)
Niles Centre (Skokie), Illinois, Market days (1880-1920).
Nineteen-year-old Alta May Hulett, the first woman admitted to the Illinois bar in 1873. 
O'Hare Stadium Midget Car Racing in Schiller Park, Illinois. (1956-1968) 
Orangeville, Illinois, the Founding of the Village.
Panic of 1893 in Illinois and Chicago. 
Plank Road history in the Chicago area. 
Port Clinton, Illinois, and the Story of the Port Clinton Lighthouse.
Purple Hotel history in Lincolnwood, Illinois.
Racists Miss the Point of this Billboard in Justice, Illinois; September of 1991.
Richard Eells, M.D.'s house used as an Underground Railroad stop in Quincy, Illinois. 
Robert Hall Clothes, Incorporated. Chicago and Illinois stores.
Robert Wadlow, World's Tallest Man from Alton, Illinois. (1918-1940)
Roller Rinks in Illinois: Hub Roller Rink & Axle Roller Rinks.
Ronald Reagan, 40th and Only President Born in Illinois. {Birthplace: Tampico, IL}
Rondout, Illinois, 'Largest Train Robbery in U.S. History' in 1924, and still own the 'Record.'
Rosell M. Hough, a brief biography of an overachiever. (1819-1892)
Rosiclare, Illinois, History in Hardin County on the Ohio River.
Sanctuary Golf Course in New Lenox, Illinois, discovers a buried Indian village in 1993.
Ship Disasters - Blue Comet Tanker Explodes in Calumet Harbor on October 29, 1953.
Ship Disasters - Lady Elgin sinks from collision by Port Clinton, Illinois, Sept. 8, 1860. 
Ship Disasters - Le Griffon; 1st ship built in America, 1679. Sank or Burned by Indians.
Ship Disasters - Silver Spray hits limestone reef, sinks at just off 49th St. beach, Chicago. 
Ship Disasters - SS Eastland tips in the Chicago River on July 24, 1915; over 85 Photos.
Lambs Farms, Libertyville, Illinois.
Skokie Lagoons Evolution.
Skokie (Niles Centre), Illinois - Old businesses within a block radius from downtown Skokie. 
St. Anthony's Hospital Fire in Effingham, Illinois. (1949)
Stagecoach travel in early Chicago and Illinois.
State Capitol Buildings from 1818 to the Present.
Theaters - Edens in Northbrook was a Hyperbolic Paraboloid structure. (1963-1994)
Thomas Neill Cream, M.D., Serial Killer. (1850-1892)
Tinker Family and Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum and Gardens in Rockford, Illinois.
Town of Austin, Illinois, was annexed to Chicago against the town's wishes in 1899.
Ulysses Grant's Order of Expulsion of Southern Jews is Quashed by Abraham Lincoln.
University of Illinois Observatory, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. 
USS Chicago - Four United States Navy Ships have been named Chicago. 
USS Illinois - Four United States Navy Ships have been named Illinois.
Vault Lights of the 19th & 20th Century (prism glass) used in Illinois Towns and Cities.
Video - The Night Hanukkah Harry Saved Christmas, Season 15 of SNL - Dec. 16, 1989.
Vigilante Justice in the Illinois Rock River Valley. "Regulators and the Prairie Bandits."
Village of Godfrey, Illinois.
Virden, Illinois, Coal Mine Massacre on October 12, 1898.
Walgreens History Begins in Dixon, Illinois, in 1901.
Waubansee Stone of Chicago. A real mystery.
Where did you say Route 66 started?
White Birch Forest at Lunt and Ashland in 1900, Rogers Park, Chicago, Illinois.
Why is there a statue of Chicago's Mayor Richard J. Daley in Illinois' State Capitol? 
Women and Gender Roles in Civil War Illinois and the North.
Woodfield Shopping Mall in Schaumburg opens as Largest Regional Mall in 1971.
Wyatt Earp, born in Monmouth, Illinois. (1848-1929)
Yanda Log Cabin in Glen Carbon, Illinois was built in 1853.
Zeigler, Illinois - A Breath Away from Being the Nation’s Capitol.

Defunct Illinois Amusement Parks
Over 140 defunct amusement park articles with 1,700 pictures.

Chicago Stories

16-Inch Softball History in Chicago.
1855 Chicago Lager Beer Riots.
1872 The Chicago Bread Riot.
1886 Haymarket Riot - a movement in Chicago for the eight-hour workday.
1893 WCE - 100s of Antique books in my 1893 Columbian Exposition Reading Room™
1893 WCE - Chicago Day, October 9, 1893. 
1893 WCE - Cold Storage Building Fire on July 10th. 
1893 WCE - Demise of a 20-foot high bronze statue of Christopher Columbus.
1893 WCE - Dr. Gale exposes the Pabst Brewing Co. myth of winning their "Blue Ribbon."
1893 WCE - EXPO: Magic of the White City. The full-length film, narrated by Gene Wilder.
1893 WCE - Failure of the Spectatorium Building. 
1893 WCE - Ferris Wheel axle found buried after 1904 St. Louis World's Fair in Forest Park.
1893 WCE - First-Ever Brownie Invented by Chicagoan Bertha Palmer for World’s Fair.
1893 WCE - Glass Blocks.
1893 WCE - Illinois Day, August 24, 1893.
1893 WCE - Intramural Railway.
1893 WCE - John Bull Locomotive.
1893 WCE - Krupp Gun Pavilion. The world's largest gun & first air conditioner.
1893 WCE - Observation (Ferris) Wheel.
1893 WCE - Pledge of Allegiance; written for this occasion.
1893 WCE - Pre-World's Fair postal cards from 1892; a rare set of four.
1893 WCE - Proposal to house the entire Fair... within one structure... on Lake Michigan!
1893 WCE - Seven Surviving Structures from the World's Fair.
1893 WCE - The One and ONLY Prize Awarded for Contests at the World's Fair.
1893 WCE - "The Reason Why Colored American Is Not in the World's Fair" Ida B. Wells.
1893 WCE - Viking Ship.
1903 Chicago Coal Famine.
1918 Influenza Pandemic and its effect on Chicago.
1933-34 Chicago World's Fair - Dymaxion Car.
1933-34 Chicago World's Fair - Mechanical Television. 
1948 Yard Sign; "4 Children for Sale," in Chicago, the Whole Story.
Al Capone and his brother Ralph are Responsible for 'Milk Expiration Dating' in Illinois.
Al Capone - "My Uncle Al Capone played Santa Claus." A true story.
Allan Pinkerton and the History of Pinkerton's National Detective Agency in Chicago.
America's First Automobile Race took place in Chicago, Illinois, in 1895. 
Andy Frain Usher Service of Chicago History.
Anita McCormick Blaine, Chicago Philanthropist. (1866-1954)
Anna Carlo-Blasi, “Queen of Little Italy," campaigned for better sanitation to fight cholera.
Annette Nance-Holt, First Female named 1st Deputy Chicago Fire Dept. Commissioner. 
Annie Malone, entrepreneur, philanthropist, one of America’s first black female millionaires.
Anthony Overton, Chicagoan, the first black man to lead a major business conglomerate.
Anton Cermak, Chicago Mayor, Biography, Assassination, and an Alternate Theory.
Arnold, Schwinn & Company, The History of Chicago's Bicycle Manufacturer. 
Art Institute of Chicago Building Contract Details from 1892.
Arthur J. Audy Home in Chicago was the Largest Juvenile Jail in the World.
Automatic Street Traffic System, Inventor Earnest Sirrine of Chicago patented in 1910.
Babette Mandel, Women of Influence Shaping Chicago History. (1842-1945)
Baer's Treasure Chest Downtown Chicago's Arcade and Magic Store.
Barack Obama, the Story of the 44th President of the United States of America.
Belgian Wood Block Alleys in Chicago's Astor Street District.
Benjamin Barker's letters to Brother Jacob Barker in 1833 as Chicago becomes a town.
Betty Ford (1918-2011) born in Chicago, First Lady of the United States (1974-1977).
Bicycle path on Sheridan Road (now Lake Shore Drive), north of Belmont, on Lakefront.
Birchwood Country Club, Chicago's other Rogers Park/West Ridge community golf club.
Birdcage Apartments at Ridge and Farwell in Chicago, built-in 1959. 
Boarding House History in Chicago begins with the Fort Dearborn settlement.
TV - Bozo, the beginnings, U.S. Bozo shows, and Chicago's WGN-TV Bozo shows.
Brennan Family Easter Photos from Chicago, Illinois. (1947-2013) 
Bull's Head Market, Chicago's First Stockyard.
Bund leader Fritz Kuhn promises to make Germany & America great at 1939 Chicago rally.
Cable Court from Lake Park Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. (circa 1950)
Carmelita Pope - One of the First Ladies of Chicago Television.
Carroll Street, a little-known subterranean street runs along the River North neighborhood.
Carter Harrison Sr., Mayor, Assassinated by Patrick Eugene Prendergast 10/28/1893
► Carter Harrison Sr., Last Speech at World's Fair before His Murder; Night of 10/28/1893
Cemetery History of Early Chicago. 
Central Station, Chicago Terminal. Also known as the Illinois Central Depot.
Clarence Buckingham and his Memorial Fountain in Chicago's Grant Park.
Charles Dickinson Inn and Tavern History in today's Portage Park Community of Chicago.
Charles Jerold Hull, a biographical sketch of Chicago's philanthropist, of Hull House fame.
Chicago's 19th-century public police force history. 
Chicago's 19th & 20th Centuries Food History. 
Chicago's Air Quality.
Chicago's Alley History. 
Chicago Area Indian Villages were a mixture of tribes.
Chicago and Evanston Telephone Exchange History including name code meanings.
Chicago Artilleryman's Account of the Battle of Shiloh. "Our Wish for a Hard Battle." [PG-13] 
Chicago as a Hunting Post.
Chicago Beach Hotel at 53rd and the lakefront, Chicago, Illinois. 
Chicago's Bridge to... Nowhere? 
Chicago Cholera Cemetery, also known as the Lake and Wabash Burial Site. (1832)
Chicago Club at Michigan Avenue and Van Buren Street, the original Art Institute building.
Chicago "Common Brick" and "Street Paver Brick" history, with pictures.
Chicago Daily News Fresh Air Fund Sanitarium. (1920-1939) 
Chicago's Famous Lake Shore Drive History.
Chicago Fire - 1857, October 19th, the Brothel Conflagration on South Water Street.
Chicago Fire - 1871, October 7th the "Saturday Night Fire" that Struck Chicago.
Chicago Fire - 1871, October 8th, the Great Chicago Fire; the O'Leary's and their Cow.
Chicago Fire - 1871, Large Map Showing the Burnt Area from the Great Chicago Fire.
Chicago Fire - 1871, YOU ARE THERE Film (Newscast Style) Narrated by W. Cronkite.
Chicago Fire - 1871, the Great Chicago Fire Destruction at Fifth Avenue and Madison St.
Chicago Fire - 1874, July 14th, the "LITTLE BIG FIRE."
Chicago Fire - 1877, November 14th, Field, Leiter & Company Department Store Fire. 
Chicago Fire - 1893, July 10th, World’s Columbian Exposition Cold Storage Building Fire.
Chicago Fire - 1894, August 8th, A West Rogers Park Block Conflagration.
Chicago Fire - 1903, December 3rd, Iroquois Theater Fire Claimed over 600 People. 
Chicago Fire - 1910, March 25th, the L. Fish Furniture Fire, 19th St., and Wabash Ave. 
Chicago Fire - 1910, December 22th, The Union Stockyards Fire.
Chicago Fire - 1922, March 15th, the Burlington Office Building Fire, Chicago. 
Chicago Fire - 1934, May 19th, The Union Stockyards Fire.
Chicago Fire - 1946, September 9th, the Hotel LaSalle Fire.
Chicago Fire - 1950, May 25th, Green Hornet Streetcar Causes an Inferno with Gas Truck.
Chicago Fire - 1953, April 17th, the Haber Corporation Fire.
Chicago Fire - 1958, December 1st, Our Lady of the Angels School Fire.
Chicago Fire - 1967, January 16th, the First McCormick Place Fire. 
Chicago Fire - 2004, December 6th, the LaSalle Bank Fire.
Chicago's First and only Crucifixion happened on March 9, 1945. 
Chicago's First Newspaper was printed in 1833. 
Chicago's First Resident, Antoine Ouilmette, July 1790-1826.
Chicago Firsts through 1880. 
Chicago Fresh Air Hospital in the West Ridge community history. (1912-ca.1960) 
Chicago's Gay-rights protest June 1977 the turning point of Chicago's LGBT movement.
Chicago Historical Society, its History and Buildings.
Chicago Home for Aged Jews was established on the South Side in 1891.
Chicago Home for the Incurables was located at 5555 South Ellis Avenue. 
Chicago's "I Will" Motto and "Y" Municipal Device History. {You'll know it when you see it.} 
Chicago Illinois, the Silent Movie Capital of the World.
Chicago Incorporated as a town on Aug. 12, 1833; Ordinances that passed Nov. 7, 1833.
Chicago Leland Giants Negro Base Ball Team. (1901-1909) 
Chicago's Lincoln Park High Bridge called "Suicide Bridge" History.
Chicago Map of Settlement Patterns in 1950.
Chicago Museum that is downtown and no one seems to know about it; Just walk-in!
Chicago National League Baseball Parks History beginning with Union Base-Ball Grounds.
Chicago proposes to secede from Illinois to form the "State of Chicago."
Chicago Race Riot (the "Red Summer") of 1919.
Chicago Radio Laboratory selling "Z-Nith" radios in 1918, (Future Zenith Radio Corp.) 
Chicago Restaurant Streets Nicknamed Three Major Streets in the early 1900s. 
Chicago River Calamity of 1849 took out all the bridges over the Chicago River. 
Chicago Sidewalk Nameplates (Stamps and Plaques), History. 
Chicago's Small Neighborhood Parks and Playgrounds History.
Chicago’s Smallest Cemetery; the Andreas Von Zirngibl Gravesite. 
Chicago's State and Madison Streets, the Busiest Corner in the World. 
Chicago Streetcar № 1137, Lost and Found. 
Chicago Telegraph arrived in 1848. Becomes eastern terminus “Western” communication. 
Chicago, The Origin and Meaning of the Name (Chicagoua).
Chicago Water Tower - One of Five Structures Surviving the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. 
Chicagoland: How did this nickname originate?
Chippewa Park History in Chicago. 
Christmas Tree Ship is a captivating Chicago holiday story.
City of Chicago Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium History.
Civil War Soldier's Home at 739 East 35th Street in Chicago, Illinois was built in 1864. 
Clark Street's History in the Rogers Park Community of Chicago.
Coal, the Technology that Changed Chicago. 
Crawford Avenue vs. Pulaski Road. A Real Chicago Street Fight.
Crilly Court Apartments on 1700 block of Wells; Daniel Crilly developed much of Old Town.
Crosby's Opera House and his lottery scheme, Chicago, Illinois (1865-1871).
Cubs Win 1908 World Series; Chicago Celebrates. Dr. Gale identifies the subject & date.  
Dan Goodwin "Spiderman" scaled the John Hancock Building and the Sears Tower in 1981.
Daniel Hale Williams Completes First Open-Heart Surgery in Chicago in 1893.
Daniel Hudson Burnham, Architect; An In-depth Biography. (1846-1912) 
De-Mil Putting Course at Devon and Milwaukee Avenues in Chicago. 
Devon Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, a Brief History.
Diana the Hunter Statue erected in front of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1909. No Lions?
Dime Museums were the lowest rungs on the Chicago showbiz ladder.
Direct access bridges to Chicago department stores from the CTA Rapid Transit System.
Drake Fountain (Christopher Columbus) in Chicago, Illinois. (1892) 
Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park on July 12, 1979. 
"Duck" House, Lake Shore Drive & Oak Street, Chicago. 1921 / Can you Solve the Mystery?
Dunning, Chicago's Insane Asylum.
Dutch Community History in Chicagoland.
Edgewater Beach Hotel and Apartments in Chicago. History with lots of Images.
Edgewater Golf Club History in Chicago, Illinois.
Edith Spurlock Sampson, America's first African American female Judge.
Eleven Mile House Tavern, 92nd and State Streets, Chicago. (1879)
Eliza Emily Chappell, the First Chicago Teacher Paid by Public Funds in 1833.
Elk's National Veterans Memorial was built at Sheridan and Diversey in 1923-24. 
Ernest “Ernie” Banks, the first Black Chicago Cubs player.
Essanay and Selig Film Companies made Chicago the Silent Movie Capital of the World. 
Evanston Avenue Steam-Dummy Locomotive, Chicago, Illinois
Everleigh Club in Chicago. The Most Famous Brothel in US History. [PG-13]
Evolution of Streets in Chicago.
Fair Store was founded in Chicago, Illinois. (1874-1963)
Famous Block 37 in Chicago.
Father Time Clock at the Jewelers Building, 35 East Wacker Drive.
Ferris Wheel Park (from 1893) film of it running at 1288 N. Clark St., Chicago. (1896-1903)
First Radio Station and the First Radio Broadcast in Chicago, Illinois. 
Food - 38 Chicago-Style foods explained with pictures.
Food - Affy Tapple, Chicago's & America's First and Original Caramel Apple. 
Food - Ann Sather's (Swedish) Restaurants of Chicago, Illinois.
Food - Ashkenaz Restaurant and Deli; a local favorite. (1910-2012)
Food - Bagel Restaurant and Deli of Chicago & Skokie, Illinois. 
Food - Berghoff Restaurant in Chicago's Loop since 1898.
Food - Berry’s Candy Factory in a former church at State and Adams Streets, Chicago. 
Food - Big-T Burger, Devon and Milwaukee Avenues, Chicago.
Food - Blackhawk Restaurant on Wabash Ave., famous "spinning-bowl" salad. (1920-1984) 
Food - Boston Oyster House in the First Morrison Hotel, Chicago, Illinois.
Food - Brach’s Confections. The "Palace of Sweets," a Chicago Institution.
Food - Busy Bee Restaurant, 1550 North Damen Avenue in Chicago, Illinois (1913-1998).
Food - Cape Cod Room at the Drake Hotel; Nation’s 1st themed restaurant. (1932-2016)
Food - Chicago Public School Butter & Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes & How to Buy Them.
Food - Chicago-Style foods explained with pictures.
Food - C.J. Vitner Company, Chicago style snacks. 
Food - David Berg and Company, Chicago, Illinois. (1860-1992)
Food - D.B. Kaplan's, a legendary Chicago Restaurant and Delicatessen. 
Food - Devon Avenue Bakeries in Chicago. A compiled list from the 1960s & 70s.
Food - Downtown Chicago Restaurant Area Nicknames from the early 1900s.
Food - Fluky's Hot Dog Stands, Chicago; 5¢ "Depression Dog" & 2¢ "Garden on a Bun."
Food - Forum Cafeteria at 64 W. Madison; Biggest Restaurant in Chicago. (1911-1973)
Food - Frederick Weeks Wilcox invented the Chinese Takeout Box in 1894.
Food - Harold's Chicken Shack, locally famous in the Chicago area.
Food - Home Run Inn, The Original Chicago Thin Crust Pizza.
Food - Kow Kow Chinese Restaurant, Chicago, then Lincolnwood, Illinois. (1949-2015).
Food - Lazar’s Kosher Sausage Factory was located at 5511 N. Kedzie Avenue, Chicago.
Food - Leavitt's Delicatessen, Halsted and Maxwell Street, Chicago. (1920s-1960s)
Food - Lockwood Castle Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor, Chicago, Illinois. 
Food - Loree’s Snack Shop and Ice Cream Parlor in Chicago.
Food - Lutz Café and Pastry Shop of Chicago, Illinois.
Food - Maurice Lenell Cooky Company's History, Chicago-Norridge, Illinois. (1925-2015)
Food - Mickelberry Log Cabin Restaurant, 2300 W. 95th Street in Chicago. Brief History.
Food - Monarch Brewing Company of Chicago History. (1892-1958) 
Food - Moo & Oink Grocery chain of Chicago.
Food - Mrs. Hering's Chicken Pot Pie Recipe (1890) begins Marshall Field Food Service. 
Food - New York Kosher, 2900 W. Devon, Chicago. History of the grocery store and deli. 
Food - Ontra Cafeteria of Chicago, Illinois. 
Food - Pullman Building's Tip Top Inn & Black Cat Inn Restaurants, Chicago.
Food - Pump Room Restaurant, famous for catering to Mid-20th Century's celebrities.
Food - Red Hot Ranch at 3118 West Devon Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. (1952-1985)
Food - Superdawg at Devon, Milwaukee and Nagle Avenues, Chicago. A 1950s drive-in.  
Food - The Brownie was invented by Chicagoan Bertha Palmer for the 1893 World’s Fair. 
Food - Thompson’s Cafeteria Restaurants of Chicago, Illinois.
Food - Wanzer & Sons Creamery of Chicago. (1857-1970s) 
Food - What's Cooking Restaurant, Lincoln Village Shopping Center, Chicago. (1978-2012)
Food - Wimpy Grills in the Chicago, Illinois area. (1934-1978) 
Food - Zephyr Café & Ice Cream Parlor, Chicago, Illinois. (1976-2006)
Four Plus One (4+1), a term unique to Chicago, Mid-Century, Mid-Rise Apartment Buildings.
Frank Billings, Dean of Rush Medical College, was a body-snatcher.
Frankenstein's Bar, 2235 West Howard Street, Chicago, Illinois.
Frink & Walker Stage Line Company started service in Chicago in 1832.
Galena & Chicago Union Railway Station at Canal and Kinzie, Chicago's first depot. 1855
General McArthur Day, April 26, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois.
Ghost Signs found in Chicago, Illinois. Over 200 presented with locations.
Givins’ Irish Castle History, Chicago’s Only Castle at 10244 S. Longwood Dr., Chicago.
Google Maps mystery of a Chicago location called "1980 Stat Boundary."
Grand Opera House of Chicago, Illinois. (1872-1958)
Grant Park Band Shell; Chicago's Petrillo Bandshell history.
Great Central (Train) Station, Chicago. (1856-1893)
Greektown, a Chicago neighborhood, served the first Gyros in America.
Green Tree Tavern at Lake and Water Streets. A first-hand account of an overnight stay. 
German Turnverein "gymnastics" movement in Chicago began in 1852. 
Grebe & Co. Inc. Shipyard History on the Chicago River at Belmont Avenue.
Gwendolyn Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet, and a Chicagoan. (1917-2000)
Gymnasium and Chicago's first park Natatorium, at Douglas Park, built-in 1896. 
H.H. Holmes Murder Castle pictures, Chicago.
H.W. Rincker, Chicago's Famous Bell Maker.
Harold Fox and his Zoot Suit creation founded in Chicago.
Harold Washington, Chicago's First Black Mayor, Biography.
Heald Square Monument History at Wacker Drive and Wabash Avenue.
Herman Henry Kohlsaat, Businessman, Chicago Newspapers Owner.
History of Chicago's Small Neighborhood Parks and Playgrounds.
Hobo College at 17 East Congress Street in Chicago was founded in 1908. 
Houseboats on the Chicago River; The History of Living on the River.
How did Tripp and Lowell Avenues get mixed in with Chicago's "Alphabet Town" K streets?
How the City of Chicago Dealt with all the Horse Manure. 
Illinois Central Depot, also known as Central Station, Chicago Terminal.
Illinois Central Railroad Company vs. the State of Illinois. Lake Michigan Usage (1892)
Illinois Theatre, 65 East Jackson Boulevard, Chicago.
Illinois Training School for Nurses' history at Cook County Hospital, Chicago.
Impact of World War I on the German Residence of Chicago, Illinois.
Indian Boundary Park, Chicago. On the "Real" Indian Boundary Line from Treaty of 1816. 
Influenza Epidemic of Chicago in 1918-1919.
Interstate Industrial Exposition, Michigan at Adams built 1872 razed 1892 for Art Institute.
Iroquois Theater Fire of 1903 claiming over 602 Lives in Chicago.
Isaac Woolf, owner of Woolf’s Clothing Store in Chicago. Known as the "Newsboy's Friend."
Italian Pharmacy location in Chicago's Little Italy Neighborhood finally found. 1901 
Jack Spratt Coffee House Civil Rights Sit-In on May 15, 1943, Chicago.
Jacob Bolotin, Chicagoan, the world's first blind physician licensed to practice medicine.
James "Big Jim" O'Leary's Amazing Life Story. (1869-1925)
Jane Addams, her Life and Times, including Hull House.
Jane Byrne, Chicago's first and only female mayor. 
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable; Searching for the true location of his 1790 Chécagou farm.
Jewish Industrial and Manual Training School of Chicago.
Jewish Life in Chicago began in the mid-1830s.
Jitney War of 1950, Chicago.
John Rawle Cut-Stone Contractor, Chicago, Illinois. 1872 
John Singer Sargent; Artist, Chicago Gilded Age. 
John T. McCutcheon: Story behind "Injun Summer" cartoon and story in the 1907 Tribune.
John Wayne Gacy History - Serial Killer. (1942-1994)
Joseph "Yellow Kid" Weil, Chicago's Con-Man Extraordinaire. "The Sting" based on Weil.
Kadish's Natatorium on the corner of Michigan Ave. & Jackson Blvd. in Chicago, 1880s.
Kalo Shop, the "leading maker" of the Arts and Crafts silver movement in Chicago.
Kate Sturges Buckingham was one of the Great Women in Chicago History.
Keanon Kyles, a black opera singer, gets his big break after years as a night janitor.
Keeley Brewing Company of Chicago. (1876-1953)
Kit Houses - Chicago Shelter Cottages - Mass short-term house kits for 1871 Fire Victims.
Kit Houses - Harris Brothers Co. / Chicago House Wrecking Co., Chicago. (1893-1933)
Kit Houses - Lustron Homes - A mid-century attempt at future prefab houses. (1947-1950)
Kit Houses - Sears Modern Homes - History, floorplans, popular Illinois choice. (1908-1940)
► The story of my private tour of a Sears Modern Home in Carlinville, Illinois.
"Kiosk Sphinx" built by a Chicago millionaire, crazy story, crazy house, pictures prove this.
Kolze's Electric (Amusement) Park, Chicago, Illinois.
Kwa̱nu’sila, “The Thunder-Maker” Totem Pole. Amazing history at Addison & LSD, Chicago.
Lake Park in Chicago later renamed Grant Park. 
Lake View Cycling Club of Chicago in the 1890s.
Lakeside Club was organized in 1884 at 3138-40 South Indiana Avenue; Brief History.
Lane Manual Training High School History (Today's Lane Tech H.S.) in Chicago. (1908)
Lee's Place / Hardscrabble, Illinois, today's Bridgeport community of Chicago.
Libby Prison War Museum, (Chicago Coliseum) Chicago, Illinois (1889-1897)
Lill and Diversy Brewery, Chicago's first commercial brewery. (1833-Fire of 1871)
Lincoln Logs construction toy was developed in Chicago, Illinois. 
Lincoln Park Baseball Grounds in Chicago, Illinois. (1910)
Lincoln Park Gun Club of Chicago, Illinois. (1912-1992) 
Lincoln Village Shopping Center history at Lincoln Ave. and McCormick Blvd. in Chicago.
Lloyd Gaines, Civil Rights Pioneer, Disappears in Chicago.
Lois Graham McDowell was First Woman in U.S. to earn a Mechanical Engineering Ph.D.
Loren Miller & Company, a Chicago Dry Goods Store. (1900-1931)
Lost Communities of Chicago - Cleaverville. 
Lost Communities of Chicago - Hyde Park Township.
Lost Communities of Chicago - Lee's (Leigh) Place / Hardscrabble a Chicago Community.
Lost Communities of Chicago - Little Sicily "Little Hell" Neighborhood.
Lost Communities of Chicago - Mopetown a Chicago Neighborhood.
Lost Communities of Chicago - Shanty Town and the District of Lake Michigan.
Lost Communities of Chicago - Swede Town Neighborhood.
Lost Communities of Chicago - Towertown Neighborhood. 
Lost Communities of Chicago - Town of Austin, forced annexation to Chicago in 1899.
Lost Communities of Chicago - Town of Lake. 
Lost Communities of Chicago - Village of Jefferson. - Township of Jefferson.
Lost Communities of Chicago - Village of Pennock.
Low-Rise Modernist Commercial Buildings on Chicago's Peterson Avenue. 
Lyon and Healy Factory, Chicago, Illinois.
Magikist Rug Cleaners; What happened to those 3 Magikist signs on Chicago highways? 
Mahalia Jackson, known as the "Queen of Gospel" and a Chicagoan who's World Famous.
Marie Connolly Owens, Chicagoan, America's First Female Police Officer.
Marine Hospitals of Chicago was on the grounds of the old Fort Dearborn.
Mark Beaubien, the Chicago Hospitality Guru beginning in 1830.
Markay Recreation Center & Markay Bowling Alley, 7221 North Western Avenue, Chicago.
Marshall Field Funds and Battles for the "Columbian Museum of Chicago” (Field Museum).
Marshall Field Garden Apartment Homes in Chicago.
Marshall Field Jr. Mystery Death in 1905 is confessed to by a woman in 1913.
Marshall Field & Co., 1839 Illustration of the store's future location.
Marshall Field & Co., Famous Elevator Girls. (1947)
Marshall Field & Co., Frango Mints, the story, and the myth.
Marshall Field & Co., Horse Drawn Delivery Wagons at the State Street Store.
Marshall Field & Co., State St. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Clocks History beginning in 1891.
Marshall Field & Co., Wholesale Store History, Chicago (1887-1930).
Marshall "Field, Leiter & Company" Department Store Fire of November 14, 1877. 
Mary E. McDowell Settlement House History in Chicago, Illinois.
Maxwell Street 7th District Police Station on Chicago's "Dead Man's Corner."
Main Chicago Public Library History.
Maud Slye, M.D., 1923 Nobel Laureate. (1869-1954) 
Mayor of Chicago fires all the police officers for eight hours in 1861.
Mayor Richard J. Daley dies in Office on December 20, 1976.
Medusa-Challenger Barge; the Chicago River Bridge Killer.
Meigs Field Airport was a single strip airport built on Northerly Island Chicago. 
Memorials of the Fort Dearborn Massacre which occurred on August 15, 1812.
Michele Obama, First Lady, Chicagoan, Biography. 
Michigan Avenue Bridge History, Chicago.
Milk Stations in Chicago at the Turn of the 20th Century.
Minnie Miñoso was the first Black Chicago White Sox player.
Montgomery Ward Biography. Founder of retail catalog sales.
Montgomery Ward fights to keep Chicago's lakefront “open, clear and free.” 
Montgomery Ward - Spirit of Progress Statue History.
Moving Houses was a Common Practice in Early Chicago.
Museum of Science and Industry - 18-Foot Walk-Through Heart Display. 
Museum of Science and Industry changing name after $125M gift. 10/2019
Negro Boys on Easter Morning. Photoshoot in Chicago's Bronzeville Neighborhood 1941.
Newspaper Alley, home to 13+ Chicago papers from 1833-1918 and had a wicked past. 
Nixon's Parisian Hippodrome and Amphitheater in Chicago. (1872-1873)
North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. A brief history.
Nymph Fountain in Chicago, Illinois. (1899) 
O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, UFO sighting occurred on November 7, 2006.
Old Town in Chicago; Groovy, Day or Night. 50+ photos, 2hr live Miles Davis 1965 concert. 
Old University of Chicago. (1857-1886) then know as Chicago University. 
Oldest House in Chicago's West Ridge Community. 
Olson Memorial Park, Waterfall, and Rock Garden, Chicago. (1935-1978)
Origins of Nude Swimming in Illinois Public Schools and Community Pools. 
Oscar Mayer's Enterprise was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1883.
Otto Funk, Chicago Public Library book thief; a medical quack; insane asylum escapee. 
Palmer Raids (aka: the Red Scare) in 1919 Chicago.
Pedway, Chicago Loop Underground Pedestrian System. 
Philip Maxwell, M.D. was the eleventh and last surgeon of Fort Dearborn.
Philo Carpenter was Chicago's first pharmacist and a drug store owner.
Pinners, Chicagoland Baseball Game played against the front stairs of houses or ledges. 
Pittsfield Building in Chicago History.
Plank Road history in the Chicago area.
Potter Palmer is responsible for Chicago's State Street as a business district.
President Street Names in Chicago.
Primer about the difference between a Chicago community and a Chicago neighborhood.
Public Bath Houses in Chicago.
Queen-Mary Articulated Experimental Trolley Bus.
Railroad Fair in Chicago; 1948-49. Both Years Official Guide Books in PDF format, for Free!
Raising Chicago Streets Out of the Mud in 1858.
Rainbo Building's History, 4812-4836 North Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois.
Rear Houses in Chicago have an interesting history.
Recipe - Butter & Peanut Butter Cookies; The Real Chicago Public School Recipe.
Recipe - First-Ever Brownie; Invented by Chicagoan Bertha Palmer for 1893 World’s Fair.
Recipe - Fried Matzah or Matzah Brei, the Chicago way.
Recipe - Mrs. Hering's Chicken Pot Pie Recipe Launching Marshall Field's Food Service.
Red-Light or Vice Districts of Chicago's past. [PG-13] 
Red Scare (aka the Palmer Raids) in 1919 Chicago. 
Republic of Forgottonia; 16 western Illinois counties tried to secede to form a new state.
Richard J. Daley was elected to his first political office... but as a Republican in 1936.
Richard W. Sears, the Story of an American Merchant in Chicago by 1893.
Riverview Stadium; Different Stadiums at Different Times in Chicago's History. 
Robert Hall Clothier, Incorporated. Chicago and Illinois stores. 
Rogers Park and West Ridge communities movie houses' history in Chicago.
Rogers Park Baseball Club & Grounds, corner of Devon Avenue and Clark Street, Chicago. 
Rosenberg Fountain "Hebe" in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois.
Rubber Duck Swims from the Chicago River to China and arrives a little bloated.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer created by Mr. May as an assignment for Wards in 1939.
Rush Street Swing Bridge in Chicago was totally destroyed on November 3, 1863. 
Ruth Snyder's execution and Tom Howard's most famous photos in newspaper history.
Sally Rand; Fan Dancer 1933, Century of Progress World's Fair; Bubble Dancer 1934.
Saloon Building Plays an important role in Chicago's history. (1836-1871)
Sam Leone's 4-mile stretch of Chicago's Touhy beach, lifeguards rescue 10K+ in 40-years. 
Sandmaster, a dredging vessel, struck 13 Chicago River bridges on 44 separate occasions.
Sarah Elisabeth Jacobs Goode was the first Negro woman to receive a U.S. patent. 
Sergio Oliva, "The Myth" (1941-2012). Mr. Universe, Mr. Olympia, and Chicago Policeman.
Seymour Paisin Ladies Apparel on Devon and Talman Avenues in Chicago, Illinois.
Ship Disasters - Blue Comet Tanker Explodes in Calumet Harbor on October 29, 1953.
Ship Disasters - Lady Elgin sinks from collision by Port Clinton, Illinois, Sept. 8, 1860. 
Ship Disasters - Silver Spray hits limestone reef, sinks at just off 49th St. beach, Chicago. 
Ship Disasters - SS Eastland tips in the Chicago River on July 24, 1915; over 85 Photos.
Shoppers World, Community, Zayre, Super K, at Lincoln, McCormick, Devon, Chicago.
Sidney Wanzer & Sons Creamery of Chicago. (1857-1970s)
Silos at Wrigley Field? 
Smith Stained Glass Museum History at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois from 2000-2014. 
Smoke-Ring Blowing Billboard on State and Randolph Streets in Chicago.
South Water Street, Chicago, early 1830s. 
"Spiderman," Dan Goodwin scaled the John Hancock Building and the Sears Tower in 1981.
Spiegel Incorporated History, Chicago, Illinois.
SS Aquarama, a luxury cruiser, docked at Navy Pier, Chicago, for the summer of 1955. 
SS Eastland Disaster on the Chicago River on July 24, 1915. History with over 85 Photos. 
Stagecoach travel in early Chicago and Illinois.
Stearns Limestone Quarry, now known as Palmisano Park in Chicago. 
Stockyards - History of Union Stock Yards and Transit Company, Chicago.
Stockyards - The first Chicago stockyards.
Term "Mickey," as in "I was slipped a Mickey" has Chicago Roots.
The Lake Michigan Seiche of 1954 in Chicago. 
Theaters - Lincoln Village Theater was the last movie palace built in Chicago.
Theaters - History of Chicago Theaters in the Nineteenth Century. 
Theaters - Telenews, 165 N State "Magazine of the Screen" played WWII newsreels hourly.
Theaters - Windsor, 1225 North Clark Street, Chicago (1886-1961).
Thomas Cusack, Billboard Baron and Illinois ' U.S. Congressman, Life History.
Thomas Hoyne & Harvey Doolittle Colvin were both Chicago Mayors at same time in 1876.
Thompson’s Cafeteria Restaurants of Chicago, Illinois. 
Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Thunder Mountain Ski Resort, Chicago, Illinois. 
Tower Cabana Club History, 3209 West Peterson Avenue in Chicago. (1955-1966)
Town of Austin, Illinois, was annexed to Chicago against the town's wishes in 1899.
TV - Bozo, the beginnings, U.S. Bozo shows, and Chicago's WGN-TV Bozo shows.
TV - "Magic Door" TV Show, a part of Chicagolands Sunday Morning Programming.
TV - Ray Rayner, a Staple of Chicago Children's Television in the 1960s & 70s.
United Airlines the World's first stewardess service between Chicago and San Francisco.
USS Chicago - Four United States Navy Ships have been named Chicago.
Waste Disposal History of Chicago, Illinois. (Burning Garbage)
Wendella Sightseeing Boats has a long history in Chicago.
Train tracks ran through the center of Chicago Municipal Airport (Midway) runways.
Was Chicago's Rosehill Cemetery originally called 'Roe’s Hill'?
Western Avenue in Chicago had its name changed to "Woodrow Wilson Road" in 1924. 
West Rogers Park, Clay Pit from top of Gas Tank, Albion and Albany Aves., Chicago. 1945
Why Chicago has Multilevel Streets.
Why Chicago Street Signs were changed from Black on Yellow to White on Green.
Why is Chicago's Catalpa Avenue between Western and Lincoln Avenues so Wide? 
Why Chicago Renamed and Renumbered its Streets in 1911.
Wigwam Buildings of Chicago.
Willa Beatrice "Queen Bess" Brown was an aviator, teacher, lobbyist, and civil rights activist.
Willard F. Myrick (1809-1889), a brief biography of a Chicagoan.
Willard Jones Cow Path still exist Downtown Chicago at 100 W. Monroe.
"Wingfoot Express," Goodyear's dirigible, crashed in Chicago's Loop on July 21, 1919.
Wolf Point Beginnings in Chicago, Illinois, including the history of the Wolf Point Tavern.
Women's World's Fair of 1925 was so successful that it was held for three more years. 
Woodblock alleys in Chicago's Astor Street District.


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