INTRO UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Europeans arrival in Chicago

Father Jacques Marquette, a French-born missionary of the Jesuit order, and Louis Jolliet, Canadian explorer and mapmaker, arrived in 1673 to the area that would become Chicago. The two were a part of a group exploring the Mississippi river to the West. Guided by local Indians, Marquette and Jolliet traveled south over Lake Michigan to the muddy plains of future Chicago. They then trekked and portaged west across serveal rivers and chains of lakes to the Mississippi. After travelling south along the Mississippi the were warned of hostile Indian lands and advised to return north. They returned to the Mississippi, Chicago, then Lake Michigan and northward bearing news of the area between the largest river and the largest group of lakes in North America.

European traders traveled through this area in the following years, but no premanent structure of European origin was erected until 1696 when another Jesuit priest, Father Pinet founded the Mission of the Guardian Angel. These Guardian Angels found little success and abandoned their mission in 1700.

Chicago developed little in the following 79 years until Jean Baptiste Point du Sable arrived. du Sable was of African heritage, coming to the North from Haiti. He built a settlement near the banks of Lake Michigan where the Chicago River flows. He needed to build a distance from the muddy banks. The present location of this settlement is the southern boarder of the Michigan Ave. "Magnificent Mile". du Sable was a skilled tradesman, a man of substance and a man from whom the history of Chicago flows.

du Sable married an Indian woman in a Catholic ceremony. He created the first courthouse and the coordinated the first set of elections for the setllement. Chicago would not see another African American with as much civic authority for almost 200 years.

Chicagoans take pride in this history. The Chicago museum for African American History is called the du Sable Museum and is one of the most prestigious museums in its field.

Checagou becomes part of the United States

General Anthony Wayne defeated several tribes of Indians in the Ohio River Valley in 1794. The Treaty of Fort Greenville of 1795 assigned much Indian land to the United States. Included in these lands was a six square mile parcel of land stretching out from Lake Michigan. The boundaries of this land, never formally established, are indicated now as central area of Chicago.

Fort Dearborn

In 1803 the War Department of the United States decided to estabilsh a permanent outpost in Chicago. The fort was named after the Secretary of the War Department. Fort Dearborn functioned as an outpost for traders and settlers. the area was peacefully maintained for several years. But the war of 1812 drew the entire garrison away from Fort Dearborn. The settlers were is a dangerous situation, as the Indians sought to reclaim their land. The Fort was evacuated as the Indians attacked. Many of the settlers were killed and the Fort was destroyed.

In 1816 the troops returned and rebuilt the fort. The fort remained in place until 1856 when urban development would neccesitate it's removal.

Further Governmental Developments

During the early 1800s in the United States land was being divided into more sections. The Illinois Territory applied for Statehood in 1818 and was approved. The land included in Illinois borders included Chicago. The city itself was subject to greater development when in 1829 the State Legislature decided to dig a canal connecting Chicago with the Mississippi River. The funds for this endeavour came from deeed to land. The commission decided to lay out towns, to sell lots, and to apply the proceeds to the construction of the canal. One of these towns was Chicago. Though the town was given geographic realm in 1830, it was not incorporated until 1833.

On March 4, 1837 the State Legislature decided to alter Chicago's charter. Chicago became a city with a population of 4,170. An election was held on the in 1837 to choos the first elected civic leaders of the new city. At this election William B. Ogden was chosen the first Mayor of Chicago.

Canals, Trains and Meat

The Grand Illinois-Michigan Canal was completed in 1848. Allowing ease of travel from the Mississippi to Lake Michigan. This canal greatly sped travel from locations in Southern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Chicago became an important harbor at the point of entry into the canal.

Along with the canal, the Chicago-Galena Railroad was opened in 1850. This railroad contributed to the growth of Chicago through the open access of Galena on the Mississippi river and its many lead mines. Chicago was the focal point of another mass transit operation. This railroad, and the one that would soon join it from the south and the east created a huge traffic in Chicago.

This traffic created an unusual problem. Livestock were being transported on these trains. When they switched trains in Chicago, there was livestock maintenence to be done. Hence, the Chicago Stockyards were created. Completed in 1965 and eventually eaching a size of one mile squared, the stockyard was arguably the largest in the world¹. The stockyard reached its peak in the 1920s, but eventually faded. The yards closed for good in 1971. During this time Chicago was known as "Hog Butcher to the World".

The Chicago Fire

The Chicago Historical society in collaboration with Northwestern University have created The Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory. This site offers an outstanding historical perspective and many illustrations, photographs and memorabelia from the fire.

The fire started October 8, 1871 around 9 p.m. The fire started in Mrs. O'Leary's cowbarn on Chicago's West Side. The actually cause is unknown, but the legend is that Mrs. O'Leary was milking her cow when it kicked over the lantern, starting the fire. the fire crossed the South Branch of the Chicago river around midnight. By 1:30 A.M. the fire was racing trough downtown Chicago. Most of the city was built of wood frame houses and buildings. Sidewalks were created from wood. The fire consumed most of downtown as citizens fleed across the Chicago River to the north. Eventually the fire crossed the river and moved north following the fleeing Chicagoans.

Rain started to fall during the next night. Fire fighters aided by the rain managed to halt the fire about 3 miles north of the river. When the fire was over and the damages were discovered:

• 300 people died
• 90,000 people were homeless
• $200 million in property was destroyed

From 1871 to 1875 the great reconstruction was underway. By 1875 little evidence of the fire remained. Though the fire destroyed almost the entire business district, the city regrew.

A possible benefit resulting from the fire was the "modernisation" of arhitecture in the late 1800s. Chicagos downtown was rebuilt from scratch. This meant new planning, new roads, new drainage and new buildings. This was also the beginning of the steel era. Soon buildings were growing larger and safer. Roads were wider and traffic flowed better. The fire removed large areas of congestion from the city and allowed a rebirth of an enormous area.

The World's Fair 1893

Chicago was host to the 1893 World's Fair, entitled the World's Columbian Exposition. This fair was designed to commemorate the 400th anniverary of COlumbus's arrival in the Americas. Chicago and New York City battled fiercly to host the event. Chicago's motto was "I Will". The city wanted to highlight the amazing growth and development since the tragedy of the fire. Chicago officials wanted to "thank their neighbors around the world" for support after the fire by hosting the event. Eventually Chicago was awarded the fair. The exposition demanded many new structures and massive reconfiguration of parts of the city to accomodate the anticipated guests. Daniel Burnham created a plan for the city, the parks and buildings that would hold the exhibit. Perhaps the grandest of his buildings was the Palace of Fine Arts. A neogothic building won much acclaim at the time and now houses the Museum of Science and Indutry. The Exposition began on May 1, 1893, ran for six months and attracted 27,539,000 visitors--almost half of the total number of people living in the United States at that time.

Burnham's Plan

Chicago's lakefront is accessable for nearly the entire length of the city. Public facilities, parks and marinas cover the lake front. The city does not build all the way to the beachfront. The city stands behind the water, sometimes several blocks away. Between the congestion of the city and the beauty of the water sits on of the greatest areas of public "non-development".

Daniel Hudson Burnham, architect and designer of the world's fair, gave his genius to the development of the city, assisted by Edward H. Bennett. In 1909 he was commissioned to redesign the entire city. This design was published by the Commercial Club. He created the first comprehensive outline of development ever offered to an American city. His idea to highlight the Lakefront was to avoid placing buildings against it. Instead of preventing Chicagoans from using the water, he encouraged it. His plan included miles of parks, zoos and beaches. The park today runs almost 20 miles along the lake. At its widest the park is nearly 3/4 of a mile. Golf courses, museums, beaches, open air theatres and band shells draw in residents and tourists each year.

Not all of Burnham's Plan was used. Until 2000, the plan was employed for most of the waterfront along downtown and to the north, but to the south, the plan was followed only to the extent that buildings were not placed on the park. Few public facilities were created. The zoos, marinas and golf courses of the north side of the city were noticably absent in the poorer areas of the south side. The city has begun the last stages of Burnham's Plan. Development is underway for areas of the city that have been long neglected.

Two more great Fairs

Chicago hosted another World's Fair in 1933 and 1934. Called "A Century of Progress" this fair celebrated Chicago's centenial. The focus of the fair was the future. Technology, such as it was, dominated the exhibit. 37 million patrons would attend the fair which lasted for parts of two years. This fair was a complete success, but did not have the lasting impact on architecture that the previous World's Fair had.

The Chicago International Trade Fair in the summer of 1959, at Navy Pier, celebrated the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The Seaway made Chicago one of the great seaports of the world. Creating a link from the Atlantic far inland. The train system alreaedy inplace in Chicago allowed for transit throughout the western United States. The event was highlighted by the visit of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Sailing down the Seaway in the Britannia, the Royal Family arrived in the Chicago Harbor. this was the first time a reigning British monarch reached Chicago. The event subtly acknowledged Chicago's participation in international commerce.

Chicago Politics in the Second Half of the 20th Century

Chicago was well known for having an unusual political situation. The nickname, "the windy city", arose not from the weather, but from the political climate. Difficulty with organized crime, alleged corruption at every level of government and the rapid growth led to an amazing bureaucracy.

The political situation became significantly more stable with the election of a powerful Mayor. Richard J. Daley was elected Mayor of Chicago in 1955. He was reelected in 1959, 1963, 1967, 1971 and 1975. During his fourth (of six) four year terms he broke the record for hlding the office the longest, 14 years and 3 days. He died in office on December 20, 1976. The political power of Chicago grew with this stability. Chicago was then, and still remains, a stronghold for the Democratic party. Mayor Daley created a political organization that was commonly referred to as "Chicago's Democratic Machine". Statewide elections could be decided based upon how strongly Mayor Daley supported a particular candidate.

The tradition of politics in the Daley family continues. The current Mayor is also Richard Daley, the son of former Mayor Daley. Elected in 1989 Richard M. Daley is currently in his fourth term of office, following his father's multiple elected footsteps. The Mayor's brother, William Daley served in the Clinton White House, and was the campaign head for Al Gore's unsuccessful run for President in 2000.

Chicago has far much more history than that which can be provided here. For greater detail regarding Chicago's History, the Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Tribune have created a chronology of Chicago History.