"Big Jim" O'Leary's Amazing Life Story. (1869-1925)

Jim (James Patrick) O'Leary was the son of the infamous Patrick and Catherine O'Leary whose cow was said to have started the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 (Mrs. O'Leary and the cow were exonerated by the City of Chicago on Sept. 10, 1997). Jim was only two years old at the time, but that event set the course for the rest of his life.

After the fire, the family was decimated financially and their reputation was shot. They moved to the South Side Back of the Yards neighborhood where Jim grew up. O'Leary worked for the local bookies when he was a teenager, and eventually, he began as a bookmaker himself in Long Beach, Indiana, an off-track betting resort. However, he soon went bankrupt and went to work at the Union Stock Yards, where he gained the nickname "Big Jim."

O'Leary's Saloon with neighboring buildings at 4183 South Halsted, Chicago. 1906

In the early 1890s, he left the Stock Yards and opened a saloon at 4183 South Halsted Street, Chicago, which included Turkish baths, a restaurant, a billiard room, and a bowling alley. The name "O'Leary" in giant electric letters, proudly emblazoned the front door as a sign of Big Jim's pride.

Note: Although Chicago renamed these streets; Dyer St., Egyptian Rd., 1st St., and 1st Ave., were renamed to Halsted in 1909, just not as far as 4100 south. 

The renumbering of Chicago street addresses in 1909 for South Halsted, ends at 965 which was changed to today's address of 2338 South Halsted. North Halsted numbering changes stoped at 2040 which was changed to today's address of 3809 North Halsted.

A drawing of the interior of O’Leary’s 4185 S Halsted Street establishment. Big Jim revealed its maze of secret rooms and the fact that his gambling operations were conducted in a supposedly vacant building next door when he announced, on 1 December 1911, that the building was for sale and that he was retiring. O’Leary’s saloon housed only law-abiding activities and was internally separated from the building next door by double iron doors.

He also posted detailed race track results and other betting information near the entrance to the Stock Yards. O'Leary soon began operating a pool hall and book parlor in the rear of his saloon. He became one of the leading gamblers in Chicago and was known for taking bets on everything from presidential candidates to changes in the weather.

O'Leary had a reputation for fair dealing. Chicago's longtime alderman-vice lord, Michael “Hinky Dink” Kenna, said of him, "He was a square shooter. Big Jim never welshed on a bet. He was a good loser and his patrons had confidence in him that he would always pay off if he lost.

In 1904, O'Leary began operating illegal gambling on Lake Michigan aboard the steamship The City of Traverse. Without police protection, this ventured had failed by 1907 because of police raids each time the ship docked.

The steamship "City of Traverse" docked on the Chicago River. Related to Big Jim O'Leary's gambling raids on the "City of Traverse" ship. 1905

O'Leary refused to bribe the police and instead had his saloon protected by constructing iron and zinc layered oak front doors to his saloon which allegedly were "fireproof, bomb-proof, and police-proof."

Big Jim O'Leary

O'Leary's success attracted unwanted attention, both from rival gambling operations and the police. His saloon was constantly raided by the cops for twenty-five years, beginning in 1899, but Big Jim was always one step ahead, and though indicted four times, he was convicted for gambling only once, at the age of 53, three years before his death, and was fined $100 for the first offense. 

In 1906, Mayor Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne briefly revoked O'Leary's saloon license, but before long, O'Leary "sold" his gambling house to an employee, who reapplied for, and was granted, a new license, putting Big Jim back in business for good. Some of O'Leary's success in evading the police was political: his son, James, Jr., married the daughter of the city's top police inspector. Also, police officers, like most other men, enjoyed gambling and frequently tipped off O'Leary if a raid was planned.

A larger problem than the police were rival gamblers. During the gambling wars, Big Jim's place was bombed with dynamite in 1907 (possibly as retribution for the bombing two months earlier at Blind John Condon's place), and twice in 1908. Each time, he rebuilt.

Following Chicago crime lord Michael Cassius MacDonald's death that year O'Leary took over complete control of gambling on Chicago's southwest side around the Union Stock Yards. 

In 1906, a group of investors, led by boxing promoter James "Big Jim" O'Leary announced plans to convert the ten-acre picnic grove into an amusement park at Halsted and 52nd Street, Chicago. Named Luna Park, the amusement park occupied the site of a former picnic grove owned by Joseph Oswald and commonly known as Oswald's Grove. It opened with O'Leary as the principal owner in 1907. In 1913, he opened the O'Leary Market on the former site of Luna Park.

Jim O'Leary's philosophy of life: 

"There are three kinds of people in this world; gamblers, burglars, and beggars. Nearly everybody gambles. Sometimes it's with money, sometimes it's with time, sometimes it's with jobs. Nearly every fellow is willing to take a chance. Other folks are burglars. They make their lives by stealing. The second-story man, the safecracker, and the dip are not the only burglars. You'll find a lot of others in offices in the loop. A fellow that won't gamble or steal is a beggar."

O'Leary, who delivered whiskey to Colosimo's Cafe under an arrangement with Johnny Torrio, was suspected of involvement in the May 11, 1920 murder of James Colosimo, but no charges were brought against him. By the time of Colosimo's death, O'Leary had become a millionaire several times over.

Despite numerous raids by police, O'Leary was found guilty of gambling only one time during his thirty-year career. The perception was that O'Leary, along with gambling bosses Mont Tennes and "Hot Stove" Jimmy Quinn, controlled the Chicago Police.

O'Leary married Annie McLaughlin, whose family lived next to the O'Leary's at the time of the fire. They were the parents of two sons and three daughters.

Late in life, O'Leary mused to a reporter about his success: "How much have I cleaned up? I'm satisfied with the results. I've got enough to take a trip around the world when I sell my shop. Then I'm going to settle down in some live little town."

Big Jim never got to do that, as he died of natural causes at the age of 56 in his home at 726 West Garfield Boulevard, on January 23, 1925. Big Jim O’Leary knew you had to keep up a good front. When Jim died his entire estate was valued at $10,200.

After his death, the O'Leary gambling house continued to be run by a business partner for a few years, until, somewhat ironically, the place burned down in the second-biggest fire in Chicago history, the 1934 Stockyards fire. Jim and his wife are buried next to his parents in a Chicago cemetery.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Two Different Riverview Stadiums at Different Times in Chicago's History.

It appears that there were, at different times in Chicago history, two Chicago racing stadiums. The first was called the Riverview Stadium Motordrome aka Riverview Stadium which adjoined to Riverview Amusement Park in Chicago, Illinois in the early 1900s. The second stadium was known as Riverview Speedway which opened in 1936. Both stadiums literally have nearly the same footprint, and both are discussed here.

Chicago Franchise wanted by both the Riverview Stadium Motordrome and the Chicago Motorcycle Club.

A rather peculiar situation has arisen in Chicago, bearing upon the award of an exclusive board track franchise for that city. Such a franchise is wanted by M. W. N. Johnson, now sole owner of the Riverview Stadium Motordrome, and also by the Chicago Motorcycle Club, which would like to build a track on the south side of the city. The Chicago Club, however, has not yet secured a site for its proposed track. On the other hand, the Riverview Stadium Motordrome management is ready to hold its inaugural meet in July.

The Riverview Stadium Motordrome settled on the northwest corner of the Riverview Amusement Park property. It bordered by the North Branch of the Chicago River to the west, Rockwell Street to the east, Addison Street to the north and approximately where Cornelia Avenue would be located to the south.

View of a group of girls wearing costume dresses standing in a circle around the perimeter of a surfaced area during a local competition of amateur athletes from the Chicago area only that was called the local "Olympic Games" and was held only on June 14, 1913, at Riverview Stadium Adjoining Riverview Amusement Park in Chicago, Illinois.

About the middle of April, Chairman Thornley signed a draft of the agreement adopted by the F. A. M. (Federation of American Motorcyclists) Board of Directors suggesting that it be executed at that time. However, there was some litigation then pending relative to the ownership of the track, and the execution of the exclusive franchise agreement and the payment of the fee was deferred.

View of two groups of young men performing a gymnastics routine on two ladders in a dirt or sand lot during a local competition of amateur athletes from the Chicago area only that was called the local "Olympic Games" and was held only on June 14, 1913, at Riverview Stadium Adjoining Riverview Amusement Park in Chicago, Illinois.

Late in April, a settlement was reached, whereupon Johnson wired $1,000 to Dr. Thornley, $750 in payment of the franchise fee and $250 to make up a purse which, as announced last year, was to go to the professional driver winning the largest number of races. The winner of this prize is Joe Wolters.

Johnson has also made application for six sanctions, and Chairman Thornley will undoubtedly decide in his favor, unless he receives formal objection within thirty days, from a majority of the members of the Board of Directors.

The Riverview races will again be refereed by H. T. Roberts.

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Riverview Speedway 1936-1942 (aka: Riverview Stadium), 2601 West Addison Street, Chicago, Illinois.

Riverview Speedway  was located on the northwest part of the Riverview Amusement Park property which was nearly the same footprint as the former Riverview Stadium Motordrome. Chicago's Riverview Speedway or Riverview Stadium was one of the finest midget auto racing tracks in the country, but had a short life of seven years. The track's grandstands would eventually seat 12,000.

Chicago businessman and sportsman, Thorne Donnelley, and others were behind the project. Donnelley, president of the Midwest Auto Racing Association, announced that the new speedway would be the association's "home track" for the 1936 outdoor racing season. Donnelley, son of Reuben H. Donnelley, Chicago's publishing and printing magnate, was involved with midget racing from the start in the Chicago area, owning midget race cars. Jimmy Snyder was his driver.

Riverview Stadium program cover from August 6, 1939

RECAP OF THE PRIME MIDGET RACES:
Opening night at the one-fifth mile dirt "speed plant" was on Sunday evening, May 24, 1936. Midget racing was in "full bloom" in the Chicago area with the Lincolnwood Motor Speedway (aka: Chicago Midget Speedway), at Pratt and McCormick in Lincolnwood, also hosting a midget racing program that same night.

Jack "Curley" Mills of Los Angeles, a pioneer of midget racing, dating back to some of the earliest midget races on the West Coast in 1934, won the 40-lap inaugural main event at Riverview, besting Bob Swanson, Pat Warren, Chicago's own Jimmy Snyder and Johnny Sawyer. Swanson, the West Coast champion considered by many to be one of the greatest midget drivers ever, defeated Snyder, Chicago's 1935-36 indoor midget racing champion, in a special four-lap match race. A capacity crowd of 8,000 witnessing the races and the track's grandstands would eventually seat 12,000. Just for the record, Paul Russo won the feature race at the Chicago Midget Speedway that same night, defeating Cletus "Cowboy" O'Rourke and Everett Rice.

The 1936 schedule called for races every Sunday and Wednesday evenings. By season's end, the track had seen over two dozen events held with Snyder being named the track's overall champion for the inaugural season. The season finale was held on September 27 with Art Hartsfeld of Toledo, Ohio grabbing the win over Marshall Lewis and Robert "Shorty" Sorenson.

The 1937 season at Riverview Speedway opened on May 23, 1937 with Hartsfeld being the winner of the 40-lap main event ahead of Russo and Ted Tetterton. Another busy schedule with racing every Sunday and Wednesday was seen with the likes of Russo, Lewis, Ray Richards, Frank Beeder, Wally Zale and Ted Duncan among feature race winners. Hartsfeld claimed track championship honors.

Harry McQuinn of Indianapolis was the "guy to beat" at Riverview Speedway in 1938 as the track ran pretty much a one night a week schedule on Sundays. McQuinn wheeled the Wisconsin-based Marchese Miller No. 4 midget to the overall track championship. Bob Lundgreen and Harry Zoern were the promoters that season. The Riverview track was the only Chicago area speedway to hold weekly midget races during the season. The new Raceway Park near Blue Island hosted its inaugural program on September 24, 1938 with McQuinn grabbing the "opening night" 40-lap feature.

A few weather-related postponements caused the 1939 racing season at Riverview Speedway not to get underway until June 4, with Wisconsin's Tony Willman in Fred Tomshe's Offenhauser-powered midget taking top honors in the 40-lap feature over Jimmy Snyder. Snyder was coming off of a great run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 30, finishing second in the 500-mile classic after grabbing pole position honors after a record qualifying effort. Less than a month later, Snyder would lose his life in a midget racing accident at Cahokia, Illinois, at 31 years old.

Chicago's Wally Zale captured track championship honors for the 1939 season. Zale, along with Willman, Lyle Dickey and Ray Richards were feature winners during the year. Richards won the 75-lap championship chase on September 10 in his Marchese Miller midget.

Zale nailed down his second consecutive Riverview Speedway track championship in 1940, sharing feature win honors with the likes of Ted Duncan, Ray Richards and Bob Muhlke. The season got underway on June 2 with Duncan in the Tomshe Offy claiming top honors in the 40-lap feature. Zale in his own black “Offy” No. 1 won the season finale on September 15 over Duncan, Muhlke, Myron Fohr and Tony Bettenhausen. The "rough and ready" Zale was reported to have won a total of 67 midget feature races during the 1940 season.

Chicago's Wally Zale was the area's most prolific midget racing feature winner from the mid 1930s until his passing in 1942. Zale, nicknamed "The Human Cyclone," during his heyday, established a single season feature win record of 67 in 1940. Zale was credited with 178 midget victories before his death in a double-train/car collision. Zale is pictured here at Chicago's Riverview Stadium in 1940. 

With the War in Europe seemingly getting closer to the United States day after day, Riverview Speedway kicked off its sixth season of midget racing on May 18. The 1941 season opener saw Ted Duncan in the Frank Podriznik No. 15 "Offy" win the 30-lap feature race over Jimmy Caris and Bob Muhlke.

Duncan would post track title-winning efforts in 1941, using a 100-lap victory on August 31 to propel himself to the track championship. Duncan, along with Muhlke, Ray Richards and Myron Fohr, were feature winners during the season. The 100-lap season finale was won by Richards on September 21 as he defeated Duncan, Muhlke, Pete Nielsen and Shorty Sorenson. Richards, who grabbed fast time honors during time trials with a lap of 15.58 seconds, covered the 100-lap distance in a record 26:30.80 minutes.

With the United States now in World War II and automobile racing seemingly ready to be halted any day, Riverview Speedway opened the 1942 season on Sunday evening, May 24, after being rained out the week before. Former Golden Gloves boxing champ Jimmy Caris of Chicago wheeled the Hopkins Offy to victory honors in the 30-lap feature ahead of Ray Richards and Bob Muhlke.

Hailing from Highland Park, Illinois, Richards, behind the wheel of his Leader Card Offy No. 5, would garner track championship honors during the track's final season. In addition to Richards and Caris, other feature winners were Myron Fohr, Cletus "Cowboy" O'Rourke, Ted Duncan and Tony Bettenhausen.

Richards scored a 100-lap victory on June 21, defeating Fohr and Muhlke. Another 100 lapper was held on July 19, with O'Rourke claiming the win over Bettenhausen, Richards and Al Cummings.

Wednesday evening, July 29, 1942, would mark the final racing program ever held at the Riverview Speedway oval as the U.S. Government ended all auto racing activities for the duration of the war. Tony Bettenhausen would have the honor of winning the final feature race at the track, wheeling his Muntz-Nichels Offy to the 100-lap win over Richards, Muhlke, Cummings, and O'Rourke. He covered the distance in 25:03.07 minutes. That night, Richards was awarded his track championship trophy and claimed top honors in the 15-lap "handicap" race.

Who would have realized that when the lights were shut off that night, it would mark the end of racing at the popular speedway on Chicago's northside? The Riverview amusement park would last until 1967, but its neighboring speedway was just a memory after World War II ended. 

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. 

Schützen Park, aka: Sharpshooters' Park (pre-Riverview Amusement Park) in Chicago, Illinois. (1879-1903)

Schützen Park also known as Sharpshooters' Park was located on the banks of the Chicago River between Belmont Avenue and Roscoe Street with the main entrance on Western Avenue, in Chicago, Illinois.

Sanborn Fire Map from 1894 - Western Avenue was the western border between former Jefferson Township and the City of Lake View - both annexed to Chicago in 1889.

Details of Schützen Park/Sharpshooters' Park Sanborn Fire Map from 1894.

German veterans from the Franco-Prussian War, who served in Fredrich the Great's "Jaeger Rifle Corps." held target practice there every Sunday afternoon using paper targets and toasting the winners with steins of beer.

It all started with a man named Wilhelm A. Schmidt who, during the late 1800s, wanted nothing more than to open a modest "Sharpshooters' Park." Schützen Park, (Schützenverein in German: Shooting Club) did well until 1903 when Schmidt’s son, George, returned from school. Upon returning from Europe George told stories of the parks he had seen which boasted fantastic Ferris Wheels, Carousels, and more. He argued that these rides would attract people from all over and with some monetary help from a lawyer named William Johnson, and a banker, Joseph McQuade, his vision quickly became reality. After that point, the park became known as “Riverview Sharpshooters' Park” and was home to three rides. 

Legend has it that the wives complained about being left behind with the children in the scorching heat of the summer. Soon, families pack picnic baskets and went to the park with their husbands. To occupy the family's time, a shaded area had benches and tables set up, and free band concerts were played. Rifle practice was soon discontinued, though rifle ranges and shooting galleries (with real bullets) later became a permanent part of Riverview Park.

George Goldman and William Schmidt purchased the 22 acres of land after Schmidt sold his Sedgewick Street Bakery and his invention of the soda cracker to the National Biscuit Company in 1903. By 1903, there were 500 miles of streetcar tracks crisscrossing the city, making public access to the park possible from every point in Chicago for 5¢. A beer garden and some small food concession stands were soon added. Music, parades, band compositions, political rallies, games, and shows kept the park a lively center for cultural entertainment.

The children complained that there was nothing for them to do. So the owners opened a free playground. There were now many things to do - a slide, a teeter-totter, and a wading pool. Soon they added one large restaurant, a large bandstand, a Rhine wine bar, five other taverns, a large 100-foot by 50-foot dance hall, an ice house, more chairs, tables, and benches.

Riverview Sharpshooters' Park, Chicago. (1904-1908)
In 1904, there were 25 major picnics held at Sharpshooters' Park ranging in attendance from 5,000 to 35,000 people. Riverview opened that year with the Sharpshooters' name. Ponies and goat carts were added to the park for the enjoyment of picnicker's children. The need for speed eventually made them obsolete. They were originally in the main area but later moved to an area they called “Kiddy Land”. Many concessions and games of skill became a part of the park such as pop (soda pop) and ice cream stands, a shooting gallery, ball-throwing, cane games, and pony rides.

Riverview Sharpshooters' Park's competition was the White City Amusement Park and San Souci Amusement Park, both located on the south side of the city. Rides and attractions were being introduced at Luna Park, Coney Island, and other East Coast locations with great success. George convinced his father to lease six acres of land fronting on Western Avenue to two Eastern amusement park representatives for $7,600 a year for a ten-year contract.

The park opened on July 3, 1904, to the public with only three rides (owned by the Eastern representatives) plus some other concessions, all under tents. The use of electricity in illumination and spectacular shows attracted 32,000 people on opening day. The park closed the 1904 season with a profit of $63,000 with only 70 days of operation. All of the concessionaires made a nice profit.

The Riverview Sharpshooters' Park Company ("Sharpshooters' Park" part of the name was dropped in 1905) was formed but competition became fierce when a fence between the two areas was removed. (The park had expanded to 140 acres and blossomed with 100 attractions by 1910.) When the 10-year lease expired, the Schmidt family gained full control of the park. The family kept Riverview Park one of the most successful in the industry despite economic trials and through tough times like the great depression.

FIRST RIDE
The "Figure 8" was the first roller coaster at Riverview Sharpshooters' Park. The ride has 12 cars on a trough-like track on a timber frame. A steam engine carried the cars up an incline and gravity brought riders back to the starting point. The cars were guided by side-friction wheels and propelled on four swivel casters. The coaster has a few mild four-foot drops on a short track and went six miles an hour it cost $16,000 to build.

SECOND RIDE
The Merry-Go-Round was second in popularity to the Figure 8 roller coaster. It was a concession at Riverview Sharpshooters' Park owned by the Eastern group. The "Morris Carousel" was described by the owner as having "very handsome figures in an octagon pavilion 100 feet across and 45 feet high." The cost of a ride was 5¢. (The larger "Fairyland Carousel" did not arrive until 1908) In the foreground is a glass etching souvenir booth.

THIRD RIDE

The "Thousand Islands" was the third ride in the park when it opened as Riverview Sharpshooters' Park. It was composed of 1,000 feet of canals with a 28-foot high chute. The boats passed through the canals at a slow speed, then were brought to the top of the incline where they rapidly descended into a pool of water. The boats returned to the starting point. A large outdoor water wheel operated by a motor, concealed behind scenery, kept the water flowing in the canals. Dark tunnels and scenes to startle the riders were added. The ride was nicknamed Old Mill, Mill on the Floss, Tunnel of Love. and The Mill. For 10¢, riders could steal a kiss.

LET'S MOVE ON TO RIVERVIEW PARKS HISTORY (150+ PICTURES & FILMS.)

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Lost Towns of Illinois - Elton, Illinois.

The Elton, Illinois settlement was located in both Pecatonica Township and Rock Run Township in Winnebago County.

It was first settled by Nelson Salisbury, Harvey Lower, Scott Robb and David Sam who came to the area in 1835. David secured land and built a log cabin on a plot of land in what is now in Durand Township. 

Elton was established four miles south of present day Durand on the Pecatonica River. In 1837 residents began settling to the north of where Durand is located today. Because Otter Creek splits into North and South branches, it provided Durand with two water sources in town. As a result, the area attracted more residents.

In 1840 David Sam traveled back to Vermont, married Erixna Campbell and returned to Illinois with his bride, a prize buffalo hide and other essential items in order to set up proper housekeeping. He became a very prosperous man in the area. 

In 1852 land was purchased from the Haughton family by the Chicago & North Western Railroad. The train came through Lysander, Illinois, (the area's common name before Pecatonica, Illinois was incorporated by rail speculators in 1869) from Chicago, resulting in the Elton settlement disappearing.

The old Stage Coach stop called the Elton Inn or the Elton House is one of two structures remaining, and is currently being used as a residence. The other remaining building is the little red brick school house which is set back off the road about a 1/2 mile east of the Elton Inn.

A special thanks to Deborah Hilton High for additional information. Deborah is the Great Great Granddaughter of David & Erixna (Campbell) Sam. She is currently living in the old Elton Inn.

Compiled by Neil Gale, Ph.D.

The Life, Death, and History of the Harmening House in Ontarioville (Hanover Park), Illinois, and a Peek Inside.

The Harmening House was located along Lake Street (US 20) in Hanover Park, Illinois. The area was once known as Ringgold, then Ontarioville, now a lost town of Illinois, except that the name was given to a neighborhood of Hanover Park. 

Wilhelm Heinrich Harmening built the Italianate-style house; a popular style in the latter half of the 1800s. Harmening built up a large dairy farm on his homestead. The property was passed down to the family over the years. It was estimated that the house was built sometime between 1865 and 1872. The most recent residents who occupied the house until 2000 were not relatives of the Harmening family.

The owner was the Central Sod Farm (Wilson Nurseries and Landscape Supply today), which the Harmening House sits upon, says the House and land are priced at $2,000,000.

Within the last number of years, there has been an interest in preserving this historic old structure. The interior was in very rough condition and would require extensive work (see photos at the bottom of this article). There were no plans for any type of massive restoration.

A family wedding held at the house in 1894.

On September 14, 2015, I spoke with Tom Reiter who works on the home site and set up a photoshoot. I sent Jim Jasiota, the Photographic Historian for my Facebook group Living History of Illinois and Chicago, to "do his thing." Tom was kind enough to give Jim a tour of the house allowing him inside to take photographs for this story.

The pictures give an idea of the house floor plan. On the second floor, you can see some of the original wallpaper and light fixtures.

Tom told Jim about this baby picture that was discovered in a frame found behind a wall when it was torn down. The identity and story of this baby picture are unknown. Tom was kind enough to email me the baby photo. Also included in the email was the above photograph, taken in 1894, of a large group of people assembled for a Harmening family wedding. Tom also sent along with a photo from high up in the cupola, giving a view of U.S. Route 20.

It's a BAY-BE!

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LIVING HISTORY OF ILLINOIS AND CHICAGO® MEMBERS COMMENTS:

September 16, 2015 - Melissa Luby: I'm actually a descendant of the Harmening's on my mother's side. We've been researching our genealogy for years and may be able to identify the people in the photos. I'll ask my mom to dust off the family tree and report back. Thank you for the photos; I've always wanted to see the inside of the house.

September 18, 2015 - Regina Nerge Dunaway: These are pictures I have of the original owners of the old Harmening House on Route 20. They are my Great Great Grandparents - J H Harmening, born Dec 31, 1827, died Dec 16, 1903, and Dorothea Thiess Harmening, born Jan 11, 1841, died May 8, 1924.

J. H. Harmening and Dorothea Thiess Harmening

September 18, 2015 - Regina Nerge Dunaway: This is also an inside shot of the house in 1894.

This photograph appears to have a backdrop but was shot inside the house during the Wedding in 1894.

September 18, 2015 - Robert Dunaway: My wife Regina Nerge Dunaway is the great-great-granddaughter and this is an inside photo from 1894.

Interior photo from 1894.

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UPDATE - Monday, May 31, 2021: "The Harmening House in Hanover Park (Ontarioville) sadly met its demise on Saturday, May 29, 2021. My Dad, Tom Reiter, took these pictures and is the property manager in the original story. Hundreds of ornamental items were saved and put into storage before the teardown. The house was un-salvageable, being way beyond repair." 

                     —Thank you, Mark Reiter, for sharing your father's photographs and information.

Central Sod only leases the trailer and a small area, and Wilson Nurseries (commercial accounts only) leases another area. The family owns all the property, including the house.

About 2010, the owners of the Harmening House went to DuPage County, Illinois, for building permits to repair the house, but it was decided it should be torn down, the county claimed it was too close to the road. The house was built between 1865 and 1872 when dirt roads with wagon ruts were the norm. Irving Park Road had been expanded to 6 lanes plus turning lanes over the years. After many court appearances, the county changed its mind. The owners looked into repairs a few years ago, and the cost would have been over a million dollars. The whole house is basically tied to the cupola, and to replace the roof, the whole structure needs to be stabilized. Building codes did not exist in DuPage County when this house was built.

NOTE: The photographs copyrighted by Jim Jasiota, who died in 2019, was the official "Photographic Historian" for the Living History of Illinois and Chicago® Facebook group.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

The Ontra Cafeteria of Chicago, Illinois.

The Ontra Cafeteria chain was started in downtown Chicago in 1909 by Miss Mary L. Dutton, self-described as "a woman past fifty." Dutton's first cafeteria at 123 North Wabash Avenue in Chicago had a seating capacity of only 96 people. She started with only $1,000 of capital.

Mary Dutton and her sister, Mrs. Jane Dutton Le Gurgy, opened a second cafeteria at 231 South Wabash Avenue. Operating two large cafeterias in the heart of Chicago's business district required the services of several chefs in each restaurant.

Fearing that food preparations bought wholesale would become less palatable and less critical to the chefs to prepare properly. Dutton had remembered her reputation as a cook, and she made daily rounds of the kitchens, offering suggestions here and there, sampling foods, and even doing a great deal of experimental cooking. She believed that keeping her hand in things could keep the dishes up to the "home cooking standard."

The average check was 42¢. Dutton ran her bakery in the cafeteria and refused to thicken the pie fillings. "Let's avoid it and make apple pies in the good old-fashioned way. Just use the apples themselves." Miss Dutton was everywhere in the cafeteria during mealtimes. Often, this woman, who was worth more than half a million dollars, may be seen picking up dishes of those who have eaten and gone.

Although she retained the two Loop locations during the early 1920s, Dutton opened one of the largest cafeterias in America, seating 1,226, not in the Loop but in the booming Uptown community. The Wilson Avenue Ontra Cafeteria.

The new Ontra was a $150,000 two-story concrete building with foundations for two additional stories. Later on, it was erected on the 100 x 100-foot vacant lot back of the three-story building on the corner. The main dining room was 25 feet high, with a long balcony on two sides. There was a 30 x 60-foot lobby with a fountain and ornamental pool with lounges and deep, easy chairs.

Her business was in a logical location because it served the needs of those living in over ninety apartment hotels and hundreds of leased-space apartment buildings. Most of the 400,000 Uptown-area residents were singles or childless couples who worked during the day, frequented the theaters, clubs, and dance halls at night, and ate most of their meals outside their living quarters. The Ontra Cafeterias feed over 8000 workers "JUST LIKE HOME" food each day. 

By 1956, Thompson's Restaurants operated Ontra Cafeterias.

INDEX TO MY ILLINOIS AND CHICAGO FOOD & RESTAURANT ARTICLES.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

First Conveyor Belt Car Wash in Chicago, Illinois.

An automobile passing through the shower bath at the first conveyor belt car wash in Chicago in 1925. Note how the top is thoroughly washed by the man on the second level runway.

Workers at the car wash hose-down the body and use soap and a brush to clean the body. The running gear (the undercarriage) of the cars are cleaned by water pipes underneath the car.

At the end of the cleaning process the cars are hand dried with towels as they proceed through the laundry.

The result is a spic and span automobile.

Compiled by Neil Gale, Ph.D.

The Chicago Lager Beer Riot of 1855.

Before Chicago became incorporated as a town in 1833, its residents were served by several taverns that brewed their own ale. Haas and Sulzer, the first wholesale brewery, began brewing ale in 1835. In the first year, they brewed 600 barrels. Both Haas and Sulzer sold out a few years later. Konrad Sulzer moved to a farm on the north side of Chicago. (The Sulzer Regional Library is named after him.) William Ogden, Chicago's first Mayor, bought his share of the brewery, starting a long Chicago tradition of politicians with roots in the beer industry.

In 1837, Chicago was incorporated as a city. The Charter gave the Mayor the power to regulate groceries (the time-period name for saloons), taverns and other liquor establishments. It was forbidden to sell liquor to servants, apprentices and Indians and no sales at all on Sundays. The stage was set for well over 100 years of municipal strife over where and when and who could drink what.

Until 1855, Chicago's streets were policed by county constables. Chicago's first mass civil disturbance happened on April 21, 1855.

With most municipal services either privatized or organized at the neighborhood level, city elections in the 1840s and early 50s had been nonpartisan contests of little interest to anyone except real-estate owners. The extremely low voter turnout permitted this quietly mobilized coalition to win control of city hall with a thin base of popular support. In the early 1850s over 60% of the Chicago population was foreign-born.

The immigration flow of primarily Roman Catholic German and Irish immigrants raised the degree of xenophobia in the native population which manifested itself politically in the Know-Nothing Party, which briefly held substantial legislative power in Chicago as elsewhere in the country. At the same time, early Prohibitionists and temperance advocates who were interested in moral reform and public order were active in the Illinois legislature had passed a state prohibition ordinance, which was to be voted on in March 6, 1855.

A Chicago mid-1850s Saloon. [1]

Klinkel's Hall, 1623 N. Wells, Chicago. 1854 - Klinkel's was involved in the Lager Beer Riots of 1855. [1]

Chicago's German population, concentrated on the North Side, enjoyed their neighborhood beer gardens, and abhorred prohibition.

Mayor, Dr. Levi Boone (1855–1856) [1]

Once elected, Mayor Dr. Levi Boone, great-nephew of Daniel Boone, and the new council majority hiked liquor license fees while also shortening license terms from one year to three months.

Expecting resistance, Mayor Boone "reformed" the city's police force: tripling its size, refusing to hire immigrants, requiring police to wear uniforms [2] for the first time.

Mayor Boone then ordered enforcement of several widely ignored laws forbidding Sunday drinking and mandating that taverns be closed on Sundays. 

Whiskey drinkers, usually American born, could buy their tipple on another day and drink in the privacy of their homes. Immigrants, Germans in particular, favored beer and didn't see the harm in Sunday drinking. At the time bottled beer was a specialty item. Almost all beer was served out of wooden kegs, necessitating rapid consumption on or near the premises.

The police forced the North Side bars to obey the ordinance, but allowed American bars on the South Side to stay open.

1850s Chicago Bottle

This led the city council to raise the cost of a liquor license from $50 per year to $300 per year to be paid quarterly. These were intentionally provocative acts aimed at Germans and Irish accustomed to spending their leisure hours drinking and socializing after a long hard workweek. The Germans organized to resist the $300 license ordinance by raising defense funds for tavern owners arrested for noncompliance.

Prosecutions clogged the city courts and attorneys scheduled a test case for April 21. This, in effect, scheduled the riot. A huge crowd assembled to support the defendants. Mayor Boone ordered police to clear the courthouse area, which resulted in nine arrests.

An armed group from the North Side German community decided to rescue the nine prisoners, but Boone held them off by keeping the Clark Street swing bridge open until he was able to assemble more than two hundred policemen. This left many German people trapped on the bridge on their way to protest. The police then fired shots at the protesters stuck on the Clark Street Bridge over the Chicago River. When the bridge was closed, the North Siders surged across.

Shooting began. Police then fired shots at protesters stuck on the Clark Street Bridge over the Chicago River. A policeman named George W. Hunt was shot in the arm by a rioter named Peter Martin. Martin was killed by police, and Hunt's arm had to be amputated. Boone called in the militia, and the riot ended in minutes.

The riot resulted in 1 death and 60 arrests. Two were convicted, and none were ever actually imprisoned. 

In March 1856, a heavy German and Irish turnout defeated the nativists, causing the $50 liquor license to be restored. More important was the renewed attention to city elections on the part of political party leaders, ending the era of municipal non-partisanship. Later that year, the prohibition law was voted down and open Sunday taps were the law in Chicago for another 65 years.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

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[1] The era of Daguerreian and Early American Photography on Paper was between the 1860s and 1893.

[2] Chicago Police Officers were without uniforms in the beginning - their only distinguishing mark was a leather badge attached to their hat bands. 1855 the first uniform was adopted: a blue frock coat (nicknamed "copper"), blue navy cap with gold band, and a plain brass star. Officers carried heavy canes daily, batons by night and used metal "creakers" to call for help. Then there were the heavy coat jackets that stayed buttoned up to the top all year. A story has it that one hot summer day, a compassionate captain ordered his men to doff their coats. No one moved. He repeated the order. The men obeyed and were immediately sent home. Not one was wearing a regulation shirt. Most wore just an undershirt; some, no shirt at all.