Mobster, Johnny Torrio, and the Handshake Murder.

In the nineteen twenties, Johnny Torrio was one of the top Chicago gangsters. He was prominent in the underworld but small in size at only five feet six inches tall. 

Chicago racketeer James "Big Jim" Colosimo brings his nephew Johnny Torrio to Chicago in 1910 from New York. Big Jim owned several houses of prostitution but did not favor working with illegal liquor. 

With the advent of prohibition, Torrio decided that the illicit liquor traffic would be more profitable than Colosimo's brothels. 

Colosimo was shot dead on May 11, 1920. No one was ever convicted of the murder.

With Colosimo out of the way, Johnny Torrio was the leading mobster controlling Chicago's South Side and the Loop.

Torrio now needed a loyal friend. He had already imported Al Capone from New York around 1920 to help him run Colosimo's "businesses." He let Capone start working as a bouncer in one of the brothels and soon found that Capone was ready for bigger and more important things. He then promoted Capone to be his right-hand man.

All the Chicago gangsters were busy trying to invade each other's territories.

Charles Dean O'Banion (1892-1924), the florist and his wife, Viola Kaniff. The leader of the North Side gang was the victim of the Handshake murder.

Charles "Dean" O'Banion graduated from the violent newspaper wars of early 20th century Chicago to become the chief bootlegging rival of mobsters Al Capone and Johnny Torrio, who ran the South Side. Dean was the North Side boss. 

O'Banion told Torrio he was buying a ranch in Colorado and settling down to live the rest of his life peacefully. He said he would sell his brewery, Chicago's finest, to Torrio.

When Torrio went to the brewery to inspect his purchase, the police raided the establishment. Torrio knew that O'Banion had set him up. After Torrio had served the short jail term for operating a brewery, he decided that O'Banion should die for double-crossing him and ordered the hit.

Dean was in his North Side flower shop, a front for his Mob activities, when a Torrio associate from New York, Frankie Yale, visited, hand outstretched in friendship. With him were two known gunmen from the Genna organization. A few minutes later, O'Banion was dead from six gunshot wounds in his flower shop. This murder was nicknamed the "handshake murder." No one was pinned with the murder, but the police suspected that the hit was ordered by Torrio.

Johnny "Papa Johnny" Torrio, 1939

With O'Banion dead, Torrio figured he ought to get out of the way of O'Banion's men. He and his Anna Theodosia Jacobs Torrio returned to Italy for three years and then moved to New York, where he became involved in criminal activities again. He spent two and a half years in prison for income tax evasion, being paroled in 1941. Torrio died in 1957, leaving a legacy of one of Illinois' top 1920s gangsters. 

Dean's funeral was the biggest anyone could remember, and among those attending were Al Capone and the South Side Gang members. But there soon would be other funerals. Charles Dean O'Banion is buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Chicago.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Chicago Newspaper Wars at the Turn of the 20th Century.

The Chicago circulation wars were a period of competition between William Randolph Hearst's Chicago Evening American and both Robert R. McCormick's Chicago Tribune and Victor Lawson's Chicago Daily News in the early 1900s that devolved into violence and resulted in more than 20 deaths.

William Randolph Hearst Sr., 1906, was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboyant methods of yellow journalism influenced the nation's popular media by emphasizing sensationalism and human interest stories. (Yellow journalism was a style of newspaper reporting that emphasized sensationalism over facts.)

The nine established English-language newspapers in Chicago enjoyed a friendly rivalry, competing for readers and advertisers through sensational headlines, lurid photos, and scoops.  Chicago had thousands of privately-owned newsstands licensed by the city. Newsstand operators purchased bales of the major newspapers to resell.

In 1900, the National Association of Democratic Clubs elected Hearst its President, a boost to his ambition to become the President of the United States, with the agreement that Hearst begins a Democratic newspaper in Chicago to compete with the Tribune, which was a Republican. Fresh from the circulation war in New York, Hearst started the Evening American.

To quickly win readers from the other newspapers, Hearst set the price for the American at a penny, half the price of the others. Other newspaper publishers blocked Hearst's evening paper from newsstands and conspired to stop businesses from advertising in the American.

Hearst hired Max Annenberg away from McCormick's Tribune to manage circulation for the American. Annenberg recruited fighters, muggers, and bouncers to join his crew. They were armed with blackjacks, brass knuckles, and guns and instructed to make sure news dealers sold the American.  Hearst began publishing a morning version of the American and hired Moe Annenberg, Max's younger brother, to manage its circulation. Morning American was renamed the Examiner.

The price of the Record-Herald was reduced to a penny to compete with the Examiner. Price wars ensued, with the other papers cutting their price to a penny to compete with Hearst's papers. With all the papers selling for the same price, violence and intimidation became the preferred methods for achieving dominance at the newsstands.

Annenberg's tactics resulted in daily battles throughout the Chicago Loop. News dealers reduced their orders of other newspapers to make room for the Americans. Newsboys were threatened into taking delivery of more newspapers than they could sell,[6] and some were taken off the street and beaten.  One newsboy was beaten in public until he was unconscious.

The circulation gangs of the Americans ordered news dealers to hide all rival papers out of sight, using violence to get their way. Streetcar riders reading papers other than the American had the papers ripped from their hands by the gangs. The political might of the newspapers encouraged the police to look the other way.

Annenberg led his thugs in terrorizing shoppers at Marshall Field's until that leading department store took ads in the American.  In 1907, the circulation gang for the Evening American hijacked a Tribune delivery truck, tossing all of its newspapers into the Chicago River.

In 1910, both the Tribune and Examiner budgeted approximately one million dollars to finance the circulation wars.  The Tribune fought back by hiring both Annenberg brothers away from Hearst. Annenberg was sued by the Examiner and American for breach of contract, but the contract was ruled void because "it was a contract to commit illegal acts." Now working for the Tribune, the Annenberg gang would park near a newsstand. When the Examiner's delivery truck arrived, it was met with gunfire. Hearst recruited a new gang of fighters using decoy delivery trucks to counter-ambush the Annenberg gang.  About sixty armed men were involved in one such battle.  Multiple fighters, news dealers, and passers-by were shot.

A Chicago Newsie

Despite daily battles in the streets, no newspapers in the city reported on them, bewildering the public.  The city's Commissioner of Public Works, Joe Patterson, thought that the circulation wars could be stopped by banning newsstands from sidewalks but resigned without taking action.  Only the Chicago Socialists reported the resumption of the circulation war in October 1910. When the attacks finally began to be mentioned in the newspapers in response to the public questioning the lack of coverage, they were attributed to a fictitious union dispute.

Little action was taken by the police or the prosecuting attorney due to the influence of the newspapers' owners. The Tribune had a hold on the State's Attorney, and Hearst controlled the chief of police.  Max Annenberg was even deputized by the sheriff.

The start of World War I brought an end to the circulation wars as the newspapers were able to rely on daily violent headlines to attract readers. The circulation gangs were disbanded.  Some of the circulation gang members, such as Mossy Enright and Charles Dion O'Banion, went on to engage in the 1920s bootleg wars,4  and O'Banion formed the notorious North Side Gang. One compromise resulting from the circulation wars was an agreement that the Tribune be displayed exclusively on the top shelf of newsstands.

The Chicago circulation wars have been described by historians as the industry's most violent period. McCormick testified in 1921 that about 27 men and newsboys had been killed between 1910 and 1912.  McCormick would deny any involvement in the violence but said that Max Annenberg proved to be the best circulation manager in town.

ADDITIONAL READING:

The History of "Newspaper Alley," Chicago, Illinois. 1833-1918.

History of Isaac Woolf, "Newsboy's Friend," Owner of Woolf’s Clothing Store, Chicago.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Early Chicago Gleanings from a Family Memoir.

The parties usually began about half-past seven or eight o'clock, and "the ball broke" generally about eleven or twelve o'clock. When there was no dancing, it ended at ten or eleven o'clock. 

In later years, we indulged at times in sleighing parties. We would send word to a country tavern, some ten or twelve miles from the city, hire several double sleighs and take a violinist along. Then when we arrived, we would have a dance followed by a good supper and, after supper, more dancing. It was often two o'clock in the morning before we reached home. These enjoyable occasions were always chaperoned by some married couples. 

The 'Saloon Building' at the southeast corner of Clark and Lake Streets in Chicago.

The only literary association in the city was the "Young Men's Association and Library." It had a small room in the third story of the Saloon Building where its meetings were held and its few books were kept. This was Chicago's first attempt at a library. An occasional lecture was arranged by the members of this association. In later years, it was reorganized under the direction of E. B. McCagg, Edwin C. Larned, F. B. Cooley, myself and others when a new course of lectures was inaugurated. These were delivered in the State Street Hall, a new assembly room, the first lecture by George William Curtis, of New York, on "Alcibiades," a character Mr. Curtis treated in his finished and elegant oratory style. After Mr. Curtis came Bishop Alonzo Potter of Pennsylvania, on "The Character of George Washington," a good, moral, fatherly kind of address, which he closed with the remark, which we often repeated afterward, "If you want to be as Washington was, you must do as Washington did."

In 1842 and '43, the Catholics had a small one-story frame church on the southwest corner of Wabash Avenue and Madison Street, which was later moved to the rear of the lot and turned into a school-house to make room for the brick church of St. Mary, which was burned in the Great Fire. On the southeast corner of Clark and Washington streets was the frame Methodist Church; on the same site, a few years later, they built a brick church destroyed in the Great Fire. On the north side of Washington Street, about midway between Clark and Dearborn streets, stood the neat frame church belonging to the Unitarian Society, of which the Rev. Mr. Harrington was pastor. On south Clark Street, between Washington and Madison streets, stood an old, one-story church, the First Presbyterian, the Rev. L. F. Bascomb, pastor. On La Salle Street, on the southeast corner of Washington Street, was the First Baptist, an old one-story frame building. On Randolph Street, about a hundred feet east of Clark, stood a neat, new modern church, the Second Presbyterian Church, of which the Rev. Robert W. Patterson was pastor.

On the north side of the city, at the southwest corner of Cass and Illinois streets, stood the original St. James's Episcopal Church alone in its glory. It was a small brick building in the Gothic style, quite simple in its exterior. The interior was remarkable for a mahogany pulpit and altar screen built for $2,000. The first rector of this Church was the Rev. Isaac W. Hallam. The new St. James's was built on the southeast corner of Cass and Huron streets, and the old brick church was sold to the Presbyterians. The Great Fire later swept away the comparatively new building, the tower alone remaining standing. 

In continuation of church memoranda, I might say that the south-side Unitarian Society divided the value of its Washington Street property, giving to its west-side Church a portion and the rest to the north-side Church, which was then under the ministry of the Rev.Robert Collyer. The Unity Church congregation built a neat frame church on the northeast corner of Chicago Avenue and Dearborn Street, where I remember hearing Ralph Waldo Emerson preach one Sunday morning.

The Fourth Presbyterian was the first Church of that denomination started on the North Side. Messrs. Wadsworth, Woodbridge, Hoge, Dorman, McCormick, Mason, Miller, and others were prominent among its members under the Rev. Mr. Richardson, pastor. Their first meeting house was built on the east side of North Clark Street, between Illinois and Indiana streets. This was several years later moved to the southeast corner of State and Illinois streets, at which time the Rev. Dr. Rice was pastor. They moved later into a new brick church on the southeast corner of Cass and Indiana streets. The old Church was turned into a sales stable for horses and carriages. Both the old and the new churches were destroyed in the Great Fire.

For some years, another Presbyterian church existed the Westminster Church, on the southeast corner of Dearborn and Ontario streets, under the charge of the Rev. David Swing. These two churches were found to be too close to each other, so they united as one Church, the Fourth Presbyterian, under Professor Swing, in the new stone church built after the Fire, on the northwest corner of Rush and Superior streets. Professor Swing retired from the Fourth Church and, in later years, became a noted independent preacher. The Rev. Dudley Chase, son of the Right Rev. Philander Chase, the first Episcopal Bishop of Illinois, founded the Church of the Atonement as the first Episcopal church on the West Side. It was built on the northeast corner of Peoria and Washington streets. Bishop Whitehouse reorganized the Church afterward, becoming the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. 

sidebar

David Swing (1830-1894) was called to the Fourth Presbyterian Church in 1866. In 1874 he was tried for heresy and acquitted, but, as a consequence, resigned from his pastorate and withdrew from the Presbyterian ministry.

The first theater with any pretensions of respectability was built by John B. Rice, a one-time mayor of Chicago and representative in Congress from the Chicago district, a man of good character and good sense and much esteemed as a citizen. This theater was built about 1846 on Randolph Street east of Clark. Later Mr. Rice built a larger theater on Dearborn Street, where the Rice Block now stands, which was finally made over into stores and offices about the time McVicker built his theater before the Fire. The Crosby Opera House, built about 1864-65 and said to have cost $700,000 ($13,028,000 today), equaled anything of its kind in the United States.

In the Randolph Street Theater, the best people were to be seen. The day's noted actors and singers appeared, and Italian opera was produced there.

There is much talk nowadays about Chicago's variable climate. The weather changed when I came in 1842 and was just as frequent and violent as they are now. The only difference is that the atmosphere seems more cloudy or darker. Very little coal was used when the city was small, with no manufacturing. There was scarcely a boiler in the whole town. No steam, no engines, no steam tugs, and wood was the only fuel, so our atmosphere was beautifully clear and pure and was one of the delights of life. There was no sewage in the river, packing houses, or anything of the kind. The lake winds, the prairie winds, and the water were all pollution-free, and Chicago, at that early day, was an excellent place to live. It was rarely sweltering in summer, and, however cold the winter might be, a stout, large, air-tight, sheet-iron stove with a chunk or two of wood would keep us warm night and day. 

The coldest weather I ever experienced in Chicago was the long, bleak winter of 1842 and '43, and again in January of 1864, when the thermometer marked 30 F. below zero in and about Chicago. The night of January 2, 1864, there had been a very heavy snowstorm, and the morning of the 3rd opened intensely cold and with a heavy gale blowing the drifting snow in every direction. My wife's sister, Mrs. Samuel Greeley, died that day. I wanted to get a carriage to take my wife to the house on Hinsdale Street (Chestnut Street today) near Wells Street. The livery stableman would not send a carriage out because the weather was so bitter. He let me have a cutter, however, one horse and plenty of buffalo robes, in which I managed to drive my wife up to her sister's house and return to the stable as quickly as possible. On the same night, the regiment in barracks at Wright's Woods, opposite the forks of the Graceland and Lakeview roads, broke camp and started for the city to save themselves from freezing to death. In the morning, some of them were seen straggling down North Clark Street, and all the sleighs and horses that could be gathered were sent up to get them into town.

Before railroads began operating out of Chicago, there was quite a furor for Plank Roads to overcome the bad condition of the dirt roads, turnpikes, they were called, made from mud thrown up from the side ditches in the spring and during the rains. These new roads were made of three or four inches thick planks and a foot or so wide of the required length, laid on stringers and spiked down. All toll roads were: the Milwaukee Plank Road, the Northwestern, the Southwestern, and the Blue Island Pike roads. When railroads came into operation, they were abandoned.

Chicago's first wooden block pavement was the original "Nicolson pavement" on South Wells Street, between South Water and Lake Streets. Samuel S. Greeley, a civil engineer, laid this initial stretch of wooden block pavement; it was a good, honest job and wore well for years. The patentee, a Mr. Nicolson of Boston, had never been able to do much with it. Chicago soil was well adapted to it, and from its introduction here has come the extensive use of this kind of pavement in many cities of the United States. Mr. Greeley made known the pavement for the patentees, and the first thing the patentees did was to part with a large portion of their interest and deprive Greeley of the benefits justly due to him in its introduction in the West.

Among the early residents of Chicago, whom I knew, was Walter L. Newberry, whose name is perpetuated by the Newberry Library. A few years after I came to Chicago, he married a Miss Clapp of Lenox, Massachusetts, and lived in the Hunter House on the southeast corner of Illinois and Rush streets. Afterward, he built a house on the northeast corner of Rush and Ontario streets, where he lived until he died. His death occurred on a steamer going to Europe. He left a widow and two daughters. The end of these heirs released his large fortune for use in founding the reference library, which now bears his name. 

Another old resident was Justin Butterfield, an eminent lawyer from western New York who owned the half block on the northwest corner of Rush and Michigan streets, adjoining John H. Kinzie's property. His residence was a two-story frame house, double front, with a large garden. His eldest daughter married William S. Johnston, and the youngest daughter, Ada, married Mr. White. Old Justin Butterfield was said to know more law than any man in Illinois and could refer to books and pages from memory. He was a rough and surly man in manners, as a general thing, and never noticed anyone in the streets unless it might be some professional friend or client. 

He was said to be a man of wit, quick at repartee and cynical, but certainly, he was not agreeable to deal with. It was related to him that when he was defending Joseph Smith, the Mormon, at Springfield, the courtroom was crowded with ladies, Mr. Butterfield opened his address with these words: "I rise to defend the prophet of the Lord, surrounded by his angels."

John H. Kinzie, son of old John Kinzie, one of the first white settlers in Chicago, was one of the early residents I knew well. Kinzie's Addition was named for him. He lived in a two-story brick house on the northeast corner of Cass and Michigan streets, with a barn and garden. There was nothing remarkable about John H. Kinzie except that he was one of the old inhabitants. In 1842 and '43, he was the registrar of the Land Office, his office being on Kinzie Street near State Street. I brought a letter of introduction to him and presented it there. Mrs. Kinzie was a woman of intellect and influence. Their daughter, Nellie, married a Mr. Gordon of Savannah, Georga, and a son, Arthur, who commanded a colored regiment during the Civil War. There was another son, George, who was in the regular army. The Kinzie house was a headquarters for Episcopalians, Mr. and Mrs. Kinzie being chief pillars in St. James's Church. She was the author of Wau-Bun, a book that gave an account of the early days of Chicago and Illinois. Kinzie's estate was small. He generally held some public office. He died in Chicago during the Civil War.

On the block bordered by Rush, Erie, Cass and Ontario streets stood William B. Ogden's residence, a large, double, two-storied, conspicuous house with a portico, columns, and broad steps. There were stables, outhouses, and greenhouses. Initially built by a land company, it was sold to Mr. Ogden during the panic of 1837 and 1838. Mr. Ogden was a charming man socially. His manner was genial, attractive, and gentlemanly, and his conversation intelligent, reflecting the power of keen observation. He was a very agreeable bachelor. He was also a man of great ability, clear-visioned and far-sighted, a projector on a large scale. I knew Mr. Ogden well. He was always courteous and pleasant and, on several occasions, did favors for me, for which I was very grateful. In his seventieth year, he married Miss Arnot, a Elmira, New York maiden lady. He died a year or two afterward at his country place near New York City, "Boscobel," leaving a widow but no children.

On the northwest corner of Dearborn and Ontario streets, in a long, low-frame house, lived Isaac N. Arnold, a lawyer. On this corner, the Chicago Historical Society building stood. Mr. Arnold was a man of acknowledged ability in the law; he was a member of Congress from the Chicago district, an honest, patriotic Republican, and a friend of Abraham Lincoln. He wrote several books on historical subjects, including The Life of Lincoln.

Gurdon S. Hubbard was, after John Kinzie, the oldest settler in Chicago. He came from Middletown, Connecticut, but had been in the northwest country since boyhood. He was a widower when I came to Chicago. He had one son, Gurdon S. Hubbard, Jr. His second wife was his cousin, a daughter of Mr. Hubbard, who lived on the northeast corner of Dearborn and Ontario streets. Henry Hubbard, the father of Mrs. Herbert Ayer, was a son of the same Mr. Hubbard. I knew Henry Hubbard very well, having hunted deer with him and others about 1844 and '45 in the "sag timber" twenty miles below Chicago. Henry Hubbard, or "Hank" Hubbard, as he was called, married a daughter of Judge Smith. She was a sister of Mrs. Dr. Boone and Mrs. Stephen F. Gale. Gurdon S. Hubbard married a second time in about 1850. When I arrived in Chicago, heathen I arrived in Chicago, he was a pork packer, his establishment being next door to my store on South Water Street, near Clark. He was a man of iron constitution. He told me that he once walked seventy miles from early morning to candlelight in one day and beat some famous Indian walkers across the country. He was always a pleasant genian, a good citizen and much respected. He had much to do with the Indians in his early life as a fur trader, and now and then, when we were neighbors on Indiana Street, some of his old Indian friends would come to see him when in town.

On Cass Street, between Huron and Erie streets, lived the McCagg family. I first knew Mr. McCagg as a storekeeper on Randolph Street, not far east of Randolph Street bridge. Afterward, he partnered with John S. Reed in the lumber business. Ezra B. McCagg, the well-known lawyer, was his son. Another son went to the Civil War with a Chicago battery, contracted a disease and died. His name is recorded with others on the Soldiers' Monument in St. James's Church vestibule. He had two daughters, one who married Andrew Brown of Evanston, and another, Miss Caroline McCagg. E. B. McCagg's first wife was the Widow Jones, a sister of William B. Ogden. They had one son, Louis McCagg. 

Another old resident was Monsieur Canda, the father of Mrs. Humphreys and Mrs. Payson and the first Mrs. William Norman Campbell. He owned a large plot of ground on North Wells Street, where he lived when I first came to Chicago in 1842. I made the acquaintance of his daughter, Miss Canda, later Mrs. Humphreys, about 1844 in New York when I called upon her with a mutual friend to get some trifle she wanted to send to her father in Chicago. She was a very agreeable young French lady. She came to Chicago the same fall after my return and married David Humphreys a year later. 

In 1842 the city had about 6,600 people, and the population increased when the resumption of work on the Illinois and Michigan Canal. There was a slight increase in population until the railroads reached Chicago and began to build West of the city. Chicago's location demanded railroads, and they came as a necessity. Chicago had not had any better start in a business way than several other lake towns. It had five or six-grain storage warehouses of moderate capacity and stocks of goods in the hands of active, energetic traders, who were always ready to buy whatever farmers had to sell and to pay for them in goods or cash. Still, there needed to be more capital in the town in 1842. Most of the merchants purchased their goods in the East on time twice a year, and about all the money to buy wheat was furnished by the Wisconsin Marine and Fire Company Bank, of which George Smith was the head and Alexander Mitchell, of Milwaukee, the cashier. The rate was 12% per annum on drafts or bills of lading consigned to the Bank's agents at Buffalo, and Smith, on the proceeds going to New York, charged merchants 2½% exchange in New York, which really cost him nothing, while his agents handling the stuff between received their commission on sales of the produce. In this way, Smith, backed by Scotch capital in Dundee, made his money and laid the foundation of his considerable fortune. Then too, he commanded the Galena to lead trade through his Bank there under the direction of James Carter. 

In those distant days in Chicago, the comparatively small circle of business and professional men, and others of note, were generally well acquainted with or known to one another. There would be a good deal of mixing in at a social gathering. Every man in those days stood on his own merits. There were very few conventional restrictions on society. There were really no rich men, although there were a good many people who possessed land who were really land poor. Each one seemed to have but one object in life, and that was to strive for the main chance. He means to live and get along so that, in this respect, all are on the same level. There were, however, some people better educated, more cultivated, and of more intelligence than others, and, as a matter of course, these were more agreeable to meet socially. Still, there were no purse-proud people, nor any fashionable and exclusive, for the simple reason that the people were all poor and everyone was disposed to respect his neighbor. Vice, wickedness and crime were comparatively unknown. 

The Chicago Historical Society was founded in 1856 with the idea of forming a historical library of a general character. A good building was erected on the northwest corner of Dearborn Avenue and Ontario Street to house it. It included a comfortable little lecture hall capable of holding three or four hundred people, while below were the necessary rooms and a spacious library on the second floor. 

Chicago was not a fertile spot at that time for amusements of a public character. There was no restaurant in the city. If one wanted a drink, the only place they could get it was the small, simple bar in the public room of hotels or farmhouse taverns as there were then. Chicago in the forties was a "one-horse" town and had not begun to step forward towards metropolitan proportions and surroundings, with all the evils of a great city.

Unknown Author, Published 1919

Edited by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Chicago's West Ridge Community, List of Closed Restaurants.

Chicago's West Ridge Community is comprised of these five neighborhoods:

1) West Rogers Park, 2) West Ridge; 3) Nortown; 4) Peterson Park; 5) Rosehill

1929─1962 Devon Avenue Confectioneries in Chicago.

1960s & 70s Devon Avenue Bakeries in West Ridge & Rogers Park, Chicago.

Skokie, Illinois, List of Closed Restaurants.

9 Dragon Inn, 3146 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

Afghan Restaurant, 2818 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Al Habib Grill, 2435 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Al Karim Restaurant, 2116 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Al Madina, 2319 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Alibis, 6422 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Alpha Jones, 3106 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Ameer Tandoori Kebab, 2307 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Andhra Bhavan Restaurant, 2509 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Angry Chicken, 2447 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Angry Taco, 7210 North California Avenue, Chicago

Angus, The, 7555 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Ann Lowe's Lunch Room, 7123 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Apollo Pizza and Bakery, 2311 West Howard Street, Chicago

Arby's, 2938 West Peterson Avenue, Chicago

Asian Family Restaurant, 2501 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Aslam Sweets, 6339 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Babil Kabob House, 6404 North California Avenue, Chicago

Bagel Restaurant, 3000 West Devon  Avenue, Chicago

Bagel and Tray, Lincoln Village Shopping Center, Chicago

Bakers Square, 7131 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Barnaby's Pizza, 2832 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

Beef 'N Stein Pub, 2741 West Howard Street, Chicago

Belden North Restaurant Delicatessen, 7574 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Bernie’s Diner, 2810 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

Biryani Bistro, 2437 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Bismillah Restaurant, 2510 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Black Angus, 7555 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Blue Diamond Restaurant, 2739 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Blue Peacock Restaurant, 2340 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Bon Ton On Devon, 2801 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Bow Wow Hot Dogs, 2954 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Bowl-O-India, 2739 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Brown's Chicken, 3149 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Brown's Chicken, 7555 North California Avenue, Chicago

Buggy Whip, 6002 North California Avenue, Chicago

Burgers To Go!, 2739 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Café Bocacho, 3018 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Café California, 6226½ North California Avenue, Chicago

Café Dushong, 3106 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Café Laziza, 2739 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Café Montenegro, 6954 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Charlie Lui's, 2741 West Howard Street, Chicago

Chatkharay Karahi And Grill, 2319 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Charles Anderson Restaurant, 7543 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Charminar Grill, 6350 North Campbell Avenue, Chicago

Chicago Char Grill, 5731 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Chicken Koop, 3049 West Peterson Avenue, Chicago

Chicken Wing Co., 2739 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

China Dragon, 6214 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Chuck Wagon, 6402 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Chung Hing Restaurant, 2334 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Companion Chow Mein Restaurant, 6950 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Dan-Dee's Red Hots, 2240 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Dandana Café, 2407 West Lunt Avenue, Chicago 

Daata Darbar, 2241 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Dave's, 5731 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Deasy's Club, 5697 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Delhi Darbar, 6403 North California Avenue, Chicago

Dehli Muslim Kali Restaurant, 6523 North Kedzie Avenue, Chicago

Devon Grill, 6351 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Devon Pizza, 2902 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

DLD Café and Grill, 6934 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Eddie Doucette's Pancake Plantation Restaurants, 2601 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

Eisenberg Beef Hot Dogs (Home Depot), 6211 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

El Garcia Restaurant, 7515 North Western Avenue, Chicago

El Picante Mexican Grill, 2349 West Howard Street, Chicago

El Sol De Mexico, 6418 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Everfresh, 2331 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Family Restaurant, 2113 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

Fin N Claw, 7225 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Fireplug Restaurant, The, 2200 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Fireside Chef, 2701 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

Fluky's Hot Dogs, 6732 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Fluky's Hot Dogs, 6821 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Fondue Stube, 2717 West Peterson Avenue, Chicago

Food Corner, 2326 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Four Corners Restaurant, (SE Corner) 2758 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Frank's Barbecue, 2916½  West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Friedman's Delicatessen, 6334 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Gandhi India, 2601 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Gee N' Gee Snack Shop, 5748 North California Avenue, Chicago

Gene Nufer Oyster Bar, 6666 North Ridge Avenue, Chicago

Ghareeb Nawaz Restaurant, 2032 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Ghaseeta Khan Restaurant, 6334 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Gigio's Pizza Restaurant, Devon Avenue, west of California Avenue, Chicago.

Gilly's Snack Shop, 6403 North California Avenue, Chicago

Gin and Irv's Bar-B-Q, 3149 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Glenway Inn, 1401 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Gold Coast Dogs, 2349 West Howard Street, Chicago

Gold Coin Restaurant, 2359 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Golden Bear Restaurant, McCormick Boulevard, South of Devon Avenue, Chicago

Golden Hamburger Drive-In, 5825 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Good Earth Chop Suey Restaurant, 2334 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Grassfield's Restaurant, 6666 North Ridge Avenue, Chicago

Greenbriar Hut, 2755 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Gullivers Pizza and Pub, 2727 West Howard Street, Chicago

Hae Woon Dae Korean BBQ Restaurant, 6240 North California Avenue, Chicago

Halal Fried Chicken, 2739 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Hashalom, 2905 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Happy Day Chop Suey Restaurant, 6351 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Hava Nagila Restaurant, 2748 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Hema’s Kitchen, 2439 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Herman's Charcoal Broiler, 2748 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Hero's, NE corner Touhy and California Avenues, Chicago

Hoanh Long, 6150 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Holloway House Cafeteria, 7572 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Hollywood Barbecue, 6007 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Homer's Hut, 6446 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Hot Rod Grill, 6237 North Western Avenue, Chicago

House of Chicken, 7438 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Hyderabad House Restaurant, 2226 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Il Forno Pizzeria and Restaurant, 2842 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Imperial Grill, 2101 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

India Garden, 2548 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

India House Restaurant, 2546 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Indian Gourmet Restaurant, 2902 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Ing's Chop Suey, 5868 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Italian Express, 2307 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Jesse's Mexican Grill, 6950 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Jim Fong Chop Suey, 2931 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

JK Kabab House, 6412 North Rockwell Street, Chicago

Jodi's Drive-In, 3149 West Devon, Chicago

Joes Dawg Ranch, 6234 North California Avenue, Chicago

Jojo's, 3905 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Jumbo House Chinese Restaurant, 2927 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Kababish of London, 2437 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Kabob 2, 3104 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Kashtan Delicatessen, 2740 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Kay's Snack Bar, 2101 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

Kessler's Kitchen, 2755 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

KFC SE corner (on a triangle) of Peterson and Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Khan Bar-B-Q, 2401 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Kim Restaurant, 6034 North Washtenaw Avenue, Chicago

Kirshner's Kosher Cuisine, 2839 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

Kirshner's Kosher Cuisine, 6320 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Kofield's, 2758 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Kow Kow Chinese Restaurant, 2548 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Kracker Box, 6364 North Rockwell Avenue, Chicago

Kumoon Cantonese Restaurant, 2927 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

La Cantina Italian Restaurant, 6975 North Western Avenue, Chicago

La Petite Restaurant, 2401 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

La Michoacana, 2349 West Howard Street, Chicago

La Rosa Restaurant, 2835 West Howard Avenue, Chicago

Land of Subs, NE corner Touhy and California Avenues, Chicago

Les Cel Bar-B-Q, 2823½ West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

Lincolnwood Coffee Grill and Fountain Shop, NW corner Devon and Kedzie, Chicago

Little John's Restaurant, 2732 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Little Louis Restaurant, 6339 North California Avenue, Chicago

Lincolnwood Coffee Grill and Fountain Shop, NW corner of Devon and Kedzie, Chicago

Lippy's Red Hots, 3118 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Long John Silvers, 6732 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Louie's Noshery, 7210 North California Avenue, Chicago

Lunt Café, 6952 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Ma's Chop Suey Take Out, 2816 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Main Pizza Chalav (Main Grill), 2831 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

Mark II Lounge, 7436 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Martin J. Flanagan Restaurant, 7557 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Masti Grill, 2948 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Maxwell Grill, 6339 North California Avenue, Chicago

McDonald's Townhouse, 2300 Block of Devon Avenue, Chicago

Mehrab Restaurant, 2437 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Mi Tsu Yun, 3010 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Mike's Ice Chicago, 5731 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Mike’s Place, 6977 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Miller's Steak House, 7011 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Mongolian House, 6345 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Moose Grill, The, 7210 N California Avenue , Chicago

Moscow at Night, 3058 West Peterson Avenue, Chicago

Mr. Beef, 2750 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Mr. Falafel, 6404 North California Avenue, Chicago

Mr. Submarine, Devon and Oakley Avenues, Chicago

Mysore Woodlands, 2548 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Nathan's Restaurant, 2401 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Nehari Palace, 2114 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

New China Buffet, 7566 North Western Avenue, Chicago

New Star Cantonese Foods, 2712 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

New Wok Restaurant, 2931 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

Ohel Avraham's Pizza (IDA Crown Jewish Academy), 2828 West Pratt Boulevard, Chicago

Old Country Buffet, 6125 North Lincoln Avenue, Lincoln Village Shopping Center, Chicago

P & S Restaurant, 7201 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Pakistan House Restaurant, 2306 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Pantheon Greek Restaurant, Devon Avenue, Chicago

Papa Milano Restaurant, 6415 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Patrician Restaurant, 3058 West Peterson Avenue, Chicago

Paul's Umbrella, NE corner Touhy and California Avenues, Chicago

Pekin House Restaurant, 2311 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Peking Food Shop, 6217 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Pepe's Taco's, 2350 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Peter Pan Snack Shops, Devon and Western Avenues, Chicago

Petite Pantry, 2307 West Howard Avenue, Chicago

Pickle Barrel, 7574 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Pike's Pine Knot Hamburger Stand, 6343 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Pike's Williamsburg Kitchen, 6415 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Pinewood Lounge, 2310 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

Pioneer Inn, Touhy Avenue, Chicago and California Avenue, Chicago

Poppin' Fresh Pies, 7131 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Puff-Fluff Donuts, NE corner Pratt Boulevard and Western Avenue, Chicago

Punjabi Dhabba Indian Restaurant, 2525 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Quiznos Classic Subs, 6067 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Raja Vegetarian Fast Foods, 2606 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Randl's Restaurant (aka "Devon-Randl's"), 2801 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Ravi Kabab House, 2447 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Relish Chicago - American Street Food, 7210 North California Avenue, Chicago

Red Hot Ranch, 3118 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Restaurant el Sol de Mexico, 6418 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Rib-N-Wing Take Out, 2816 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Ridge Inn, 6648 North Ridge Avenue, Chicago

Ridge Steak House, 6666 North Ridge Avenue, Chicago

Robert's Restaurant and Delicatessen, Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Ruby's Snack Shop, 6410 North Rockwell Avenue, Chicago

Ruthie’s, 7131 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Sagar, 2520 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Sally's Original Bar-B-Q (1st on Western), 6445 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Sally's Original Bar-B-Q (then moved here), 6335 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Sally's Stage, 6335 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Sammy and Lisa's What's Cooking, 6181 N Lincoln, Lincoln Village Shopping Center, Chicago

Sangeet Palace Restaurant, 2136 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Scheffler's Restaurant, 7011 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Selma's Delicatessen, 2549 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Seven Hills Restaurant, 3001 West Peterson Avenue, Chicago Avenue, Chicago

Shalimar Kabab House, 2319 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Sheeba Mandi House of Devon, 2510 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Sheerman and Kabab House, 2104 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Shelly's Restaurant and Delicatessen, 2748 West Pratt Boulevard, Chicago

Sher-A-Punjab Indian Restaurant, 2510 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Shiraz Restaurant, 2624 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Showtime America, 6335 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Sizzle India, 2509 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Small Fry Restaurant, 1555 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Sonny-Boy Barbecue Hut, 7011 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Sub Cult, 2447 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Sukhadia's Fresh Kitchen and Bistro, 2559 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Sundance Café, 2407 West Lunt Avenue, Chicago 

Sunset Restaurant, 7304 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Taami, 2931 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

Taboun Inc., 6339 North California Avenue, Chicago

Tahoora, 2326 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Taj Restaurant and Catering, 6352 North Campbell Avenue, Chicago

Talbott's Restaurant, 7301 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Tapia's Pizza, 2049 West Howard Street, Chicago

Taqueria El Pueblo, 2212 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Terry's Drive-In, 2721 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago

The Diamond Steer, 6345 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Theatre Bowl Snack Shop, 6800 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Three Legged Tacos, 7210 North California Avenue, Chicago

Three Sisters Delicatessen, 2854 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Tic-Toc Restaurant, 3058 West Peterson Avenue, Chicago

Tiffin The Indian Kitchen, 2536 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Town Pump Restaurant, 6345 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Tropical Smoothie Café, 3451 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Umar, 6958 North Western Avenue, Chicago

Urban India, 2601 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Uru Swati, 2629 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Usmania Chinese Restaurant, 2253 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Usmania Indian Restaurant, 2244 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Viceroy of India, 2520 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Village Cart, 6181 North Lincoln Avenue , Lincoln Village Shopping Center, Chicago

Village Grill, 6107 North Lincoln Avenue, Lincoln Village Shopping Center, Chicago

Village Inn, 6181 North Lincoln Avenue Lincoln Village Shopping Center, Chicago

Wah Lung Lo, Lunt and Western Avenues, Chicago 

Welcome Inn Pizzeria, 7517 North Western Avenue, Chicago

What The.. Wings, 2739 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

What's Cooking, 6181 North Lincoln Avenue, Lincoln Village Shopping Center, Chicago

Wingman, 2321 West Howard Street, Chicago

Wok N Chop, 2739 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Wrapmatic, 2739 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Yallafan, 2820 West Peterson Avenue, Chicago

Z Halal Chicago Wraps, 2739 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Zahid Nihari, 2307 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Zaitoon House, 2437 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Zam Zam Sweets and Grill, 2500 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Zelda's, 6181 N Lincoln Avenue, Lincoln Village Shopping Center, Chicago

Zweig's Delicatessen, 2359 West Devon Avenue, Chicago

Skokie, Illinois, List of Closed Restaurants.

I've written over 150 Illinois and Chicagoland restaurants, restaurateurs, and food articles, plus present "verified" recipes from famous Chefs or restaurants.

VISIT OUR VINTAGE RESTAURANT SOUVENIR SHOP. 

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Copyright © 2023, Neil Gale, All rights Reserved.

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Chicago's West Ridge Community List of Closed Restaurants, West Rogers Park Neighborhood Closed Restaurants, Nortown Neighborhood Closed Restaurants, Peterson Park Neighborhood Closed Restaurants, Rosehill Neighborhood Closed Restaurants, Defunct West Ridge Restaurants, Defunct West Rogers Park Restaurants, Defunct West Nortown Restaurants, Defunct Peterson Park Restaurants, Defunct Rosehill Restaurants:

9 Dragon Inn, Afghan Restaurant, Al Habib Grill, Al Karim Restaurant, Al Madina, Alibis, Alpha Jones, Ameer Tandoori Kebab, Andhra Bhavan Restaurant, Angry Chicken, Angry Taco, The Angus, Ann Lowe's Lunch Room, Apollo Pizza and Bakery, Arby's, Asian Family Restaurant, Aslam Sweets, Babil Kabob House, Bagel Restaurant, Bagel and Tray, Bakers Square, Barnaby's Pizza, Beef 'N Stein Pub, Belden North Restaurant Delicatessen, Bernie’s Diner, Biryani Bistro, Bismillah Restaurant, Black Angus, Blue Diamond Restaurant, Blue Peacock Restaurant, Bon Ton On Devon, Bow Wow Hot Dogs, Bowl-O-India, Brown's Chicken, Brown's Chicken and Pasta, The Buggy Whip, Burgers To Go!, Café Bocacho, Café California, Café Dushong, Café Laziza, Café Montenegro, Charlie Lui's, Chatkharay Karahi and Grill, Charles Anderson Restaurant, Charminar Grill, Chicago Char Grill, The Chicken Koop, The Chicken Wing Company, China Dragon, China Ling, Chuck Wagon, Chung Hing Restaurant, Companion Chow Mein Restaurant, Dan-Dee's, Dan-Dee's Red Hots, Dandana Café, Daata Darbar, Dave's, Deasy's Club, Delhi Darbar, Dehli Muslim Kali Restaurant, Devon Grill, Devon Pizza, DLD Café and Grill, Eddie Doucette's Pancake Plantation Restaurants, Eddie Doucette's Pancake Plantation Restaurants, Eisenberg Beef Hot Dogs, El Carrito, El Garcia Restaurant, El Picante Mexican Grill, El Sol De Mexico, Everfresh, Family Restaurant, Fin N Claw, The Fireplug Restaurant, Fireside Chef, Fluky's, Fluky's Hot Dogs, Food Corner, Four Corners Restaurant, Frank's Barbecue, Friedman's Delicatessen, Gandhi India, Gee N' Gee Snack Shop, Gene Nufer Oyster Bar, Ghareeb Nawaz Restaurant, Ghaseeta Khan Restaurant, Gigio's Pizza Restaurant, Gilly's Snack Shop, Gin and Irv's Bar-B-Q, Glenway Inn, Gold Coast Dogs, Gold Coin Restaurant, Golden Bear Restaurant, Golden Hamburger Drive-In, Good Earth Chop Suey Restaurant, Grassfield's, Greenbriar Hut, Gullivers Pizza and Pub, Hae Woon Dae Korean BBQ Restaurant, Halal Fried Chicken, Hashalom, Happy Day Chop Suey Restaurant, Hava Nagila Restaurant, Hema’s Kitchen, Herman's Charcoal Broiler, Hero's, Hoanh Long, Holloway House Cafeteria, Hollywood Barbecue, Homer's Hut, Hot Rod Grill, House of Chicken, Hyderabad House Restaurant, Il Forno Pizzeria and Restaurant, Imperial Grill, India Garden, India House Restaurant, Indian Gourmet Restaurant, Ing's Chop Suey, Italian Express, Jesse's Mexican Grill, Jim Fong Chop Suey, JK Kabab House, Jodi's Drive-In, Joes Dawg Ranch, Jojo's, Jumbo House Chinese Restaurant, Kababish of London, Kabob 2, Kabob Two, Kashtan Delicatessen, Kay's Snack Bar, Kessler's Kitchen, KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Khan Bar-B-Q, Kim Restaurant, Kirshner's Kosher Cuisine, Kofield's, Kow Kow Chinese Restaurant, Kracker Box, Kumoon Cantonese Restaurant, La Cantina Italian Restaurant, La Petite Restaurant, La Michoacana, La Rosa Restaurant, Land of Subs, Les Cel Bar-B-Q, Lincolnwood Coffee Grill and Fountain Shop, Little John's Restaurant, Little Louis Restaurant, Lippy's Red Hots, Long John Silvers, Louie's Noshery, Lunt Café, Ma's Chop Suey Take Out, Main Pizza Chalav, Main Grill, Mark II Lounge, Martin J. Flanagan Restaurant, Masti Grill, Maxwell Grill, McDonald's Townhouse, Mehrab Restaurant, Mi Pueblo II Restaurant, Mi Tsu Yun, Mike's Ice Chicago, Mike’s Place, Miller's Steak House, Mongolian House, The Moose Grill, Moscow at Night, Mr. Beef, Mr. Falafel, Mr. Submarine, Mysore Woodlands, Nathan's Restaurant, Nehari Palace, New China Buffet, New Star Cantonese Foods, New Wok Restaurant, Ohel Avraham's Pizza, Old Country Buffet, P & S Restaurant, Pakistan House Restaurant, Pantheon Greek Restaurant, Papa Milano Restaurant, Patrician Restaurant, Paul's Umbrella, Pekin House Restaurant, Peking Food Shop, Pepe's Taco's, Peter Pan Snack Shops, Petite Pantry, Pickle Barrel, Pike's Pine Knot Hamburger Stand, Pike's Williamsburg Kitchen, Pinewood Lounge, Pioneer Inn, Poppin' Fresh Pies, Puff Fluff Donuts, Punjabi Dhabba Indian Restaurant, Quiznos Classic Subs, Raja Vegetarian Fast Foods, Randl's Restaurant, Devon-Randl's, Ravi Kabab House, Relish Chicago American Street Food, Red Hot Ranch, Restaurant el Sol de Mexico, Rib-N-Wing Take Out, Ridge Inn, Ridge Steak House, Robert's Restaurant and Delicatessen, Ruby's Snack Shop, Ruthie’s, Sagar, Sally's Original Bar-B-Q, Sally's Stage, Sammy and Lisa's What's Cooking, Sangeet Palace Restaurant, Scheffler's Restaurant, Selma's Delicatessen, Seven Hills Restaurant, Shalimar Kabab House, Sheeba Mandi House of Devon, Sheerman and Kabab House, Shelly's Restaurant and Delicatessen, Sher-A-Punjab Indian Restaurant, Shiraz Restaurant, Showtime America, Siam Pasta, Sizzle India, Slick Chick Drive-In, Small Fry Restaurant, Sonny-Boy Barbecue Hut, Sub Cult, Sukhadia's Fresh Kitchen and Bistro, Sundance Café, Sunset Restaurant, Taami, Taboun Inc, Tahoora, Taj Restaurant and Catering, Talbott's Restaurant, Tapia's Pizza, Taqueria El Pueblo, Terry's Drive-In, The Diamond Steer, Theatre Bowl Snack Shop, Three Legged Tacos, Three Sisters Delicatessen, Tic-Toc Restaurant, Tiffin The Indian Kitchen, Town Pump Restaurant, Tropical Smoothie Café, Umar, Urban India, Uru Swati, Usmania Chinese Restaurant, Usmania Indian Restaurant, Viceroy of India, Village Cart, Village Grill, Village Inn, Wah Lung Lo, Welcome Inn Pizzeria, What The Wings, What's Cooking, Wingman, Wok N Chop, Wrapmatic, Yallafan, Z Halal Chicago Wraps, Zahid Nihari, Zaitoon House, Zam Zam Sweets and Grill, Zelda's, Zweig's Delicatessen

Celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

Celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, I thought I'd share this interesting letter I saved as a text file years ago when I lived in West Rogers Park. I may have enough tidbits of Illinois history and stories to develop a Knowledgebase. 

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A Digital Hoarder, defined by researchers as a sub-type of hoarding disorder, is characterized by individuals collecting excessive digital files, material, and photos.

Kamran's family immigrated from Pakistan to Michigan when he was 3 years old in 1974, and he writes about his first visit to Chicago's "Little India Neighborhood," Devon Avenue.

Chicago's "Little India" in the far North Neighborhood of West Rogers Park.

My name is Kamran. I know it's probably normal for everyone who lives there (Chicago's Little India), but I almost cried just walking Devon Avenue (DEE Von) with my friend. It was also his first visit to Chicago. I was excited to see such a large community of Pakistanis.

I'm traveling for the first time in my life from Michigan, where the South Asian/Indian (Desi) population is super spread out. You only see big groups of people, like myself, at organized events or funerals. 

I grew up in Dearborn, so even though there's a decent size Muslim and Arab community here, there arn't many Desi in our community. Weddings and events are fun but not very traditional in several ways. There are many reasons why my family has never returned to visit Pakistan since we came to America. 

I have never been to such a big city like Chicago before. It was surreal.

For the first time in my life, I walked on a busy street, and I blended in! I realized that I had never felt so 'normal' before. I didn't receive a strange look or bad vibes.

The people I was walking past looked like my brother, mom, or dad, and where the food in the stores was what I was used to buying at home. We had trouble deciding which restaurant to eat lunch at.

It's kind of sad that I've never seen people like myself living an organic life. It felt strange to me.

I'm sure this was no big deal for many people, but for me, it meant EVERYTHING.

I have always struggled with my identity being an "in-betweener," never white or a Desi. The feeling of being 'insecure' just disappeared after a 10-minute stroll on Devon Avenue.                                                                     ——  Kamran  

 THANK YOU, CHICAGO! I'll be back.

Kiddie Park, 4200 North Harlem Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. (1939-1953)

Kiddy Park opened on April 29, 1939, at 4200 North Harlem Avenue, Chicago, by Charles “Charlie” F Reid. 

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In 1948, a local improvement association incorporated Norridge as a village, stymieing an effort by Chicago to annex the area.

CLICK THE IMAGES TO READ THEM.

On the same corner as KiddyTown Amusement Park (1953-1964), which opened on the east side of the future Harlem Irving Shopping Center, which opened in 1955, in Norridge, Illinois.

Charlie was quite the entrepreneur, opening the Charlie Reid Golf Circus just to the north of Kiddie Park. Soon after starting Kiddy Park, he branded himself as Montana Charlie and started a few businesses and sold some products under that brand.

Charlie Reid Golf Circus

I'm guessing that the Giraffe was too slim to hit at 250 yards.

If Daddy and Mother wish for recreation, they may visit the Charlie Reid Golf Circus, where they can practice their Golf in surroundings so unusual that every minute will be real joy and pleasure.

They may improve their Golf by aiming at animals─try, hitting the Elephant on the "noodle" at 250 yards─the Lion at 200 yards─they can try and hit a Tiger or a Clown─and all the time, they are improving their golf drive and having fun while they do it. 

VISIT OUR ILLINOIS AMUSEMENT PARK SOUVENIR SHOP

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Thank you, France Costabile, for the pictures and your story.