Another Plan of Chicago?

Chicago, often casually termed the "worst governed city in the world,'' approached, last week, another major cure experiment. Coming to a head was a plan for a businessman's administration. The plan, as announced by Silas Hardy Strawn, onetime (1927-28) president of the U. S. Bar Association, calls for cooperation with the regularly constituted municipal authorities, rather than the creation of a new city government. Thus, for instance, a famed engineer would sit at the right hand of the city's Director of Public Works. A famed banker would lend talent to the City Treasurer. The leader of this business group would presumably have access to the Mayor's office. These businessmen would receive no salary from the city; their services would be donated by their companies as an act of public service.

Loosely described as setting up a "super government," the plan actually remains indefinite concerning the authority to be invested in the business group and the extent to which their advice would necessarily be followed. Mr. Strawn himself described the scheme as "embryonic." John W. O'Leary, suggested as head of the new regime, said that "the whole thing" was in a "formative state." and James Simpson, Marshall Field president, scolded Mr. Strawn for making a "premature" announcement. Yet, loose and shapeless as the plan at present appears, the business government movement, perhaps immediately inspired by the desirability of "cleaning" Chicago before the World's Fair of 1933, is undeniably under way.

After you have gotten over the initial shock, read the entire, "Plan for Chicago," from the January 21, 1929 issue of Time Magazine. That's James Simpson on the cover above, and the article is a veritable "who's who in Chicago." Fascinating...

Chicago History Caught in the Web

A little Friday link love...

Check out the old postcard views of the Art Institute at the Chicago Postcard Museum. It's part of their "The Art Institute of Chicago: Inside-Out" exhibit. I think my favorite is the card above published about 1900. Yep, that's Michigan Avenue.

Forgotten Chicago focuses their lens on "Disused Fire Stations." This first part of their photolog features pre-1900 stations.

Stumbled on an interesting article pertaining to the raising of the street grade in Chicago beginning in 1855. Titled "The Lifting of Chicago," the piece has some great pictures. What I like best, however, is that the author also has an extensive Source Page.

Reflections of a Newsosaur mourned the passing of a great Chicago newspaper in "So Long Again, Chicago Daily News." The post originally appeared in 2005.

As food prices in the U.S. continue to rise, I was reminded of a John T. McCutcheon cartoon published in The Chicago Daily Tribune during the "red summer" of 1919. It was sarcastically titled, "The Harvest Moon."

So much to read at eCUIP, the digital library project of the Chicago Public Schools / University of Chicago!Click on the Chicago section. Check out the Chicago City Council Proceedings for an intimate look at early petitions, ordinances, communications and other official records. Interesting to read how police and fire protection, public works, schools and taxation originated in Chicago.

And finally, from the Antiques Roadshow comes an appraisal of an 1885 Chicago Opening Day Baseball Program. I won't spoil it for you; read the short transcript.

Have a great weekend!

Chicago History Freelance Researchers

In a recent post at The Pen and the Spindle, researcher Heather Vallance made the excellent suggestion that a resource website should contain a list of professional freelance researchers. I agree. Since I am but a lowly amateur whose passion exceeds her knowledge, I thought this would be a very helpful tool for the readers of my blog who, for whatever reason, might need the assistance of a pro. So, I did a little research...

But, I didn't have to go far. The Chicago History Museum has a list of freelance researchers. They do not recommend any particular person and the list is a bit buried on the "Contact Us" page, but it's available. Contact these writers for their availability and rates.

By the way, if there are any freelance writers or researchers who would like their name and contact information included on this blog (no charge, of course), please feel free to contact me. I am more than happy to support freelancers whenever I can.

Final note: If you are considering hiring a freelance writer/researcher, please remember these people are professionals. They will not write your history paper that is due next week. For that, you will need this.

How Chicago Got its Name

The most frequently posed question on the search engines that brings readers to my blog (yes, I check those things) is, "How did Chicago get its name?"

Ann Durkin Keating explains in the Encyclopedia of Chicago, "The name 'Chicago' derives from a word in the language spoken by the Miami and Illinois peoples meaning 'striped skunk,' a word they also applied to the wild leek (known to later botanists as Allium tricoccum). This became the Indian name for the Chicago River, in recognition of the presence of wild leeks in the watershed. When early French explorers began adopting the word, with a variety of spellings, in the late seventeenth century, it came to refer to the site at the mouth of the Chicago River."

Allium tricoccum, also known as "ramps," was a favorite spring addition to the diet of early Native American and, later, the white settlers. "The fresh and tender-green ramp leaves with their strong onion-garlic taste were an improvement on the bland winter fare of dried fruits, pickled vegetables, nuts, beans, and dried beef or salt pork; they were regarded as a spring tonic that cleansed the blood...Native Americans knew ramps well. They used them in decoctions to treat coughs and colds, and they made a poultice from the juice of the strong summer bulbs to alleviate the pain and itching of bee stings. The Menomini called them pikwute sikakushia (skunk plant), and they referred to an area near the southern shore of Lake Michigan, where ramps grew abundantly, as CicagaWuni or shikako (skunk place). The term was later applied to a white settlement now known as Chicago." (Cosby Ramp Festival)

But, the origin of the name may not be quite that simple. In 1929 Lloyd Lewis and Henry Justin Smith wrote in Chicago: The History of its Reputation:

Just why they called it "Chicago' is disputed. On the banks of the creek grew a weed, a sort of wild onion or garlic which the red man named "Chickagou." One tribal word for "playful waters" was "Shecaugo," another word meaning "destitute" was "Chocago" and, to some redskins, the word "Shegahg" meant "skunk." A word that sounded like "Chi-cago" was also used by the Indians to describe thunder, or the
voice of the Great Manitou or the Mississippi River- Also in the late 1700's there was an Indian chieftain named "Chicagou." In general the word was interpreted as applying to a bad smell.

Most meanings had one thing in common, observed Edgar Lee Masters [A Tale of Chicago], one of the region's prominent literary figures in times to come, in one form or another they stood for "strength."

Early historian Juliette Augusta Magill Kinzie (wife of John Harris Kinzie, the son of John Kinzie) addressed the issue in Wau-bun: The Early Day in the Northwest published in 1856:

The origin of the name Chicago is a subject of discussion, some of the Indians deriving it from the fitch or polecat, others from the wild onion with which the woods formerly abounded; but all agree that the place received its name from an old chief who was drowned in the stream in former times. That this event, although so carefully preserved by tradition, must have occurred in a very remote period, is evident from an old French manuscript brought by General Cass from France.

In this paper, which purports to be a letter from M. de Ligney, at Green Bay, to M. de Siette, among the Illinois, dated as early as 1726, the place is designated as "Chica-goux." This orthography is also found in old family letters of the beginning of the present century.

Any other questions?

The Unhappy Fate of The Three Arts Club

From the Chicago Reader today: Mission Diminished by Deanna Isaacs.

Three Arts Reaches out to 'Underrepresented' Artists reported in the Chicago Tribune March 12, 2008.

The new and improved Three Arts website...

The Old Chicago Water Tower

The Chicago History Museum reminded me that today marks the 141st anniversary of the beginning of construction on the Chicago Water Tower. On March 25, 1867, the cornerstone was laid, but the tower would not be completed for two years. Take a look at the Water Tower today - right this minute - courtesy of Loyola University's Webcam. Well, most of it.

Encyclopedia Chicago has, of course, several interesting articles related to this beloved landmark: Water in Chicago and Constructing an Infrastructure. The City of Chicago adds to our knowledge with: History of Chicago's Water Tower, Historic Water Tower and Old Chicago Water Tower District. After a while it gets to be pretty dry stuff. But, just when you thought you knew everything there was to know about this historic Chicago symbol, along comes an article on the Chicago Water Tower by "The Chief Engineer." Have fun.

One more thing...no, the Chicago Water Tower was not the only building to survive the Great Fire of 1871.

The Work of Chicago Historian - Bessie Louise Pierce

This has to be a quick post today...

Bessie Louise Pierce (1888-1974)was one of Chicago's great academic women and a pioneer in urban history. While Pierce had many academic accomplishments, she is primarily known for her four volumes on Chicago history.

Her first published contribution to documenting the history of Chicago came in 1933, just in time for the Century of Progress that same year. The book was titled As Others See Chicago and is an edited collection of impressions the city had on visitors from Chicago's rough beginning to the Great Depression. Fortunately, this primary source volume is available on Internet Archive in a variety of formats, and you are encouraged to download this important work (then go buy a copy; you'll thank me). Teachers should note that a text version of the book is available and a little copy/paste work will produce some really fascinating handouts.


Last year, the University of Chicago Press re-released the other three volumes by Pierce. All are under the title, A History of Chicago :

Volume 1: The Beginning of a City, 1673-1848
Volume 2: From Town to City, 1848-1871
Volume 3: The Rise of a Modern City, 1871-1893

Pierce began the three-volume history in 1929, and it was completed in 1957.

All four of Pierce's books are now in print and will be available from your favorite bookseller. Books are expensive - I know! But, these are worth every dime and then some.

A Wiki With the Answers

Most of the readers who visit this blog come with a question pertaining to Chicago's history. Many will get an answer or find links to appropriate information. But, no blog could provide information on everything so my job, as I see it, is to provide resources.

WikiAnswers is the user-generated question & answer component of Answers.com, a collaborative project where visitors share what they know and ask about what they don't. I was delighted to find that there is a WikiAnswer for Chicago history and, as of today, has 744 questions covering Chicago's origin to questions on present day Chicago. Most of the questions have answers; some don't and provide you the opportunity to share your knowledge.

Here are some sample questions:

How did Chicago get its name?
What was the unemployment rate in Chicago in the 1930s?
What is info on Essanay Studios?
How many different ethnicities live in Chicago?
Where can you start your Chicago genealogy research?
Where can you find information about the Grace Lines cruise ship company?
What is info on the Chez Paree night club?
History and development of Boystown in Chicago?
Is there a list of victims of the Chicago fire?
What are the famous buildings in Chicago?

Check it out. You might find the answer to a quick question or started in the right direction for more research. A word of caution: In most cases the answers are not provided by history scholars. Always do some cross-referencing to verify the answer is accurate.

The First Art Exhibition in Chicago

by Joel S. Dryer
"In the spring of 1859 the Chicago Tribune announced people had cause for "pride - in our young city" striking down the thought that Chicago was "entirely devoid of all taste and culture in art." In The Daily Chicago Times the stir was well summarized:

Taken in itself, and located in Paris, London or Vienna, our first art exhibition would attract only a limited attention; in New York, Boston or Philadelphia, it could not fail to excite the interest and curiosity of the citizens; but placed in a western city which, twenty-five years ago was only an Indian trading post in Chicago, it justly becomes an object of wonder and gratification.

The event changing the cultural landscape was an exhibit that opened on 9 May 1859 at Burch's Building on the northeast corner of Wabash and Lake. It was the city's first fine art exhibition, a show of paintings, engravings, and sculpture borrowed from local art collections. It was a striking success in a town that only some twenty years earlier had incorporated and elected its first mayor. The collection of art brought over 12,000 people to Burch's in a city that had a population of a mere 110,000 who were generally naïve about art. Most importantly the show helped to popularize the collecting of fine art in Chicago."

Read the entire article at FindArticles - First Art Exhibition in Chicago, The
Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, Spring 2006, by Dryer, Joel S

Side Notes of Interest:
The Burch's Building burned to the ground in 1868 during the Lake Street Fire.

According to the Chicago Tribune, January 29, 1868:

LAKE STREET IN FLAMES.
Two Destructive Conflagrations Last Evening. The Heaviest Fires on Record in this city. Wabash and Michigan Avenues and Lake Street Burning. Three Entire Business Blocks Destroyed. Twenty-Two Business Firms Burnt Out. The Whole City Lighted Up---An Immense Crowd Gathered. Scenes of Horor--Falling Walls--Explosions. Loss, Over Two Millions of Dollars-Insurance, $1,486,000. ORIGIN OF THE FIRE. ... BLOCK. SIMON & STRAUSS. MANNING BROS. & WEST. HAYWOOD, CORTLEDGE & HONORE. S. C. GRIGGS & Co. ... KELLOGG. VACANT. M'DOUGALL, NICHOLAS & CO. SCHOENFELD & CO. ... BROS. MESSRS. R. G. ... & CO. DANGER. A ... BURCH'S BUILDING OTHER STORMS ... RECAPITULATION. The Second Fire. MERRILL & HOPKINS. FRANKLIN BAKER. SEYMOUR, ... & CO. WHITNEY BROTHERS THE BUILDINGS. FOREMAN, HARRIS & CO. A CRASH. EXPLOSION. FITCH, WILLIAMS & CO., BURNHAMS & VAN SCHAACK. KEITH, WOOD & CO., ... HENDERSON & CO. BOARDING HOUSE. STEALING. VOLUNTEERS. Insurances. The Scene. BUILDINGS INJURED. REMOVING PROPERTY. FROZEN WATER. LACK OF WATER. A STEAMER

The Lake Street Fire was called “The Great Fire” by the Chicago Tribune on January 30, 1868. “The great conflagration of Tuesday ... which has shocked the entire community, and which will be remembered hereafter as an epoch in the city's history, will be worth all it has cost if it shall compel us to mend our system of constructing buildings.”

Painting: View of Cotopaxi, 1857 by Frederic Edwin Church American, 1826-1900. Exhibited at the Chicago Exhibition of Fine Arts and later at the McVicker's Theater. Given to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1919.

Al Capone and the IRS Investigation: Selected Documents Released

Five documents relating to a portion of the IRS investigation of Al Capone have recently been released. The Historical Documents relating to Alphonse (Al) Capone, Chicago make for fascinating reading and it is obvious that the IRS agents took Capone's dealings very personally.

In 1931, the Internal Revenue Service’s Intelligence Unit completed an investigation of Alphonse Capone which led to his conviction for tax evasion for which he served 11years in prison. A recent Freedom of Information Act Request for a copy of Special Agent Frank Wilson’s report to Elmer Irey about the Capone investigation led to a review of the records in light of the confidentiality provisions of Internal Revenue Code Section 6103. The review concluded that this information could be made available to the public – principally because Capone never filed a tax return.

Here's a portion of an Internal Revenue letter dated July 8, 1931, from W.C. Hodgins, Jacque L. Westrich, and H.N. Clagett, all Internal Revenue Agents, to the Internal Revenue Agent in Charge, Chicago, Illinois, in re Alphonse Capone, 7244 Prairie Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.

Alfonse Capone is, without a doubt, the best advertised and most talked of gangster in the United States today. Reams and reams of newsprint and magazine paper has been used up in exploiting Al Capone as the "Big Shot" in his various activities as the boss of the so-called Cicero syndicate which carried on a very lucrative business in manufacturing and selling beer and alcohol, operating gambling houses, and houses of prostitution.

...Al Capone, a punk hoodlum, came to Chicago from New York about 1920, as a protege of John Torrio, who, at the time was a lieutenant of Jim Colosimo. The first heard of Capone was as a bouncer in a notoriously tough joint called the "Four Douces." In the course of time, Colosimo, following the path of all good gangsters, was "bumped off," and Torrio took control. True to tradition, the guns again began to blaze, but this time the person behind the gun evidently had poor eyesight and Torrio, instead of going to the cemetery, took a vacation in the hospital. On getting out Torrio evidently thought discretion the better part of valor, and migrated to New York. This left the field clear for Al Capone, who promptly muscled in, and due to free advertising in the newspapers became the "Big Shot," Capone the immune, Capone the idol of the hoodlum element, Capone, the dictator, free from arrest and prosecution by the local police, due, no doubt, to his lavish spending of money and giving bribes. Some time ago Capone was arrested on a vagrancy charge, and the states attorney had to dismiss the case for the reason that no policeman could be found in Chicago who knew Al Capone!

As any reader of this blog knows, this is not my favorite Chicago history topic. However, given the opportunity to read primary sources had even me Googling Capone. For those who would like a little more information...

Homicide in Chicago 1870-1930
Chicago History Museum History Files
Al Capone Museum
For more on using primary sources in historical research see The Pen and The Spindle.

Photo: Al Capone on Wikipedia (see above)
Hat Tip to The Chicagoist. I saw it there first.

Cyrus McCormick, Ad Man

Cyrus McCormick, once said, "Trying to do business without advertising is like winking at a pretty girl through a pair of green goggles. You may know what you are doing, but no one else does."

Advertising and McCormick's army of salesmen were partly responsible for the incredible success of the McCormick (or Virginia) reaper. The main reason, of course, is that it worked. While there is much to write about Cyrus McCormick and his place in early 19th century Chicago (the connection to the Haymarket Riot, for one), I wanted to note the extensive collection of Images from the McCormick-International Harvester Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society. There are over 3000 images in the collection including many of McCormick's reaper promotions. More on McCormick in future posts.

Jane Addams, John T. McCutcheon and Chicago Tours

Two new research link sets have been added to the sidebar: Jane Addams and John T. McCutcheon. Lots of sites to explore. The photo to the left comes from Syracuse University. " George Ade ’87 and John T. McCutcheon ’89, both former Presidents of the Indiana Society of Chicago, in their first year together at Purdue University."


The Chicago Neighborhood Tours 2008 schedule has been released by the City of Chicago. There are three sets of tours: Neighborhood Tours, such as Bronzeville, Little Italy, Hyde Park; Special Interest Tours that includes Great Cemeteries in Chicago, The Great Chicago Fire, Greek Chicago, The White City and, my personal favorite, Literary Chicago (includes a tour of my favorite building, The Fine Arts Building. Someone needs to write a history of this glorious structure!); and Public Arts Tours focusing on Chicago's wealth of public art. A brochure providing complete details on each tour can be downloaded. If you live in Chicago, are within driving distance of Chicago or are planning a visit this summer, try to take advantage of one or more of these tours.

Come to think of it, why isn't there a book on the history of The Fine Arts Building? Have I somehow missed it in my journey around the web? Any Chicago writers reading? Any takers? While I'm at it, where are the books on theater architects Rapp & Rapp, Cornelius W. Rapp and George L. Rapp? I can only hope...

Walking With Women Through Chicago History

There are Chicago guidebooks galore, but only two, that I'm aware of, focus on Chicago women's history.


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.

A Life of Strength and Conviction: Ida B. Wells

Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Crusader for Justice is profiled on Scandalous Women. Wells was a great Chicago woman, social advocate, writer, editor and teacher, and I can't think of a better way to kick of Women's History Month.

"Long before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, a young school teacher refused to move from the Ladies Car on the train on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. When she was removed from the train, she sued and won proving that a woman of color could make her voice heard. Although the decision was later over-turned, Ida B. Wells-Barnett kept raising her voice, educating Americans and Europeans about the horrors of lynching, and other social injustices that were being heaped on African-Americans in the 19th century."

For more information:

Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Her Passion for Justice by Lee D. Baker

Ida B. Wells-Barnett A Warrior Woman for All Ages

Celebrating Chicago's Women

March is Women's History Month (International Women's Day is March 8th), and I would be remiss if I didn't provide resources on some of the great women in Chicago's history. Periodically during the month I'll be posting short biographies of some notable women. But, as an introduction, there is no better starting point than the outstanding reference book, Women Building Chicago 1790 - 1990, A Biographical Dictionary.

Women Building Chicago, published in 2001, was the brainchild of the Chicago Area Women's History Council, and their website provides a detailed look at the project's evolution. The 1088-page reference work contains 423 essays on women who have contributed to Chicago's meteoric rise and respected position in the world community. There is an introduction written by co-editor, Rima Lunin Schultz and a detailed index compiled by co-editor Adele Hast. The biographies are listed alphabetically, but there is also a list by date of birth which I found most helpful. The book can be ordered on their website.

The extensive "must read" introductory essay written by Dr. Schultz is generously available online at the Chicago Metro History Education Center History Fair site. Be sure to read this overview of the book's themes and topics.

While I prepare some future posts, investigate American Women's History: A Research Guide, one of the American Library Association's Best Free Reference Web Sites of 2004.

Happy Birthday, Chicago!

Chicago is 171 years old today. On March 4, 1837 Chicago became a city. The population at the time was 4,170 and William B. Ogden would become its first mayor, 1837-1838. "[Ogden] was a founding father not only of the city (because he wrote its first charter) but of the Chicago & North Western Railway, and was a principal in the nation's first transcontinental railroad. He built the city's credit reputation as well as his own by keeping the city solvent during the depression of 1837." (Encyclopedia of Chicago)Read more on the Panic of 1837 at Wikipedia.

It's interesting to note that the Act of Incorporation for the City of Chicago contained a provision whereby the city government could require adult male citizens to give three days of service each year to fix and maintain the roads. In light of the number of potholes being reported in Chicago this year, perhaps this is an idea to revisit. Alas, the busy men in old Chicago found it to be an extremely inconvenient chore and many preferred to pay a fine. And thus was born the idea behind property taxes.

Chicago Public Library Website Redesign Really a Pain

The Chicago Public Library has redesigned their website. The result is that none of the links to previous CPL information pages work. I will make every effort to either correct the link or remove it. Most of the Chicago history links on CPL seem to either bring up a list of books or an article from the Encyclopedia of Chicago. I haven't investigated the entire new site, but my initial evaluation is not particularly positive. Would an archive be too much to ask? Check it out for yourself.

UPDATE: I've gone through the site and removed the broken CPL links. I did, however, correct the link in the sidebar to their Chicago history timeline.

The Wigwam

Want to take a break from the current crop of Presidential circuses? Make that "Presidential caucuses..."

Chicago has held more political conventions than any other city in the nation; from 1860 to 2004, twenty-five political "parties" (pun intended), Republican and Democrat, have nominated their respective candidates in Chicago. Inside the Wigwam ,by R. Craig Sautter and Edward M. Burke, is the only book that I am aware of (correct me if I'm wrong) that exclusively focuses on Chicago's contribution to the political process.

The title of the book is taken from the name of the venue that Chicago built to host the Republican Convention of 1860, a pivotal moment in United States' history when Abraham Lincoln received the nomination.

"... the Wigwam was built in little more than a month entirely of wood, on Lake Street near the Chicago River. The hall was packed with more than 12,000 delegates and spectators, and the multitude of enthusiastic supporters of Abraham Lincoln in the galleries helped to stampede the Republican delegates toward the dark-horse candidate from Illinois. The building was used for political and patriotic meetings during the 1860 election and at the outbreak of the Civil War. Subdivided into several stores, the rectangular building functioned as a retail space until its removal sometime between 1867 and 1871. Its name derived from the antebellum custom (especially in New York) of calling a political campaign headquarters a “wigwam.” (Encyclopedia of Chicago)

The Wigwam was built on what is now 191 N. Wacker Drive and the site was awarded landmark status in 2002.

"The committee for historic preservation also approved landmark status for the site of the “Wigwam” building, which also once held the Sauganash Hotel. Both structures were important to Chicago’s early history, but neither exist on what is now the southeast corner of Lake Street and Wacker Drive.

Constructed in 1831, the Sauganash Hotel, 191 N. Wacker Dr., was a popular gathering spot for area settlers, travelers and soldiers stationed at Fort Dearborn. The hotel also was the site of Chicago’s first village board election, in 1833.

The Sauganash burned down in 1851, and a new two-story building was erected at the same location by 1860. This new building, called the “Wigwam,” was the site of the first national political convention held in Chicago--the 1860 Republican National Convention. It was in the Wigwam that Abraham Lincoln was nominated for president.

Because the buildings no longer exist, the site will be honored with plaques similar to the series of rectangular plates in the sidewalk on Michigan Avenue at Wacker Drive, which outline where Fort Dearborn once stood." (Medill News Service)


("The 'Wigwam' Grand March: Dedicated to the Republican Presidential Candidate."
Oliver Ditson & Co., 1860. Library of Congress)