Walking with Women Through Chicago History: 4 Self-Guided Tours by Marilyn A. Domer, Jean S. Hunt, Mary Ann Johnson, Adade M. Wheeler, and edited by Babette Inglehart was published in 1981. The booklet is only 74 pages but is packed with information on Chicago's notable women of the 19th and 20th centuries. There are four featured destinations: The Loop; The Near West Side and Hull-House; Prairie Avenue and Environs; and Hyde Park. Each section has "How to Get There" instructions, but ask questions. These may be outdated. A helpful bibliography for further reading is included, which I always appreciate. This guide may be a little difficult to find, given its age, but used book stores and online sources may turn up a copy.
Walking with Women Through Chicago History II: 3 Loop Tours by Jean S. Hunt was published in 2007, however, and should easily be available through your favorite bookseller. Here the focus is the Chicago Loop and the text is extensive and detailed. It also focuses on the Chicago women of the 19th and 20th century and there are many short biographies to supplement the tour. You might want to read some of it before starting out. Each tour takes about an hour, according to the book, but you can take as long as you like and pause to enjoy this gorgeous city.
March is Women's History Month, but I have to admit the Chicago weather is still a bit nippy to take a walking tour. Hardened Chicagoans won't balk, but a warm spring or summer day in the city might be a little more conducive to enjoying the sites and all these two books have to offer. Frankly, other than nosing around old bookstores or visiting a museum, I can't think of a better way to spend a day in Chicago.
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