On Chicago: Sunday's Child

For Chicago I have nothing but the dearest love. It was the place of my birth into the kingdom of God - where I signed up with Jesus Christ as my manager for life. It was where I got into the biggest league of them all, the league where I will fight with the last drop of my blood until the great umpire says, "Bill, you're out!"

William Ashley "Billy" Sunday (1862-1935)
Chicago Whitestockings outfielder; played baseball 1883-1891
Evangelist

Recommended reading:
Billy Sunday (Wikipedia)
Billy Sunday!
Forest Home Cemetery
Photo Credit: Billy Sunday!

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Louis, I Think This is the Start of a Beautiful Friendship

Occasionally, I will come across a scrap of information or a picture or an advertisement that is, when considered in a broader context, filled with significance.

In this case it was a "Notice;" an announcement that a firm was moving their office. It was printed in the Chicago Tribune on May 4, 1889 and positioned at the very bottom in the right hand column of the page. It could have easily been overlooked.



Dankmar Adler & Co. had done very well in the years preceding the Sullivan partnership, but when the engineer and the architect did finally meet, it was not only a great friendship but made architectural history. The first time they met, however, neither had an inkling of what the future would bring:

One day his old friend John Edelmann returned from Iowa, where he had had a spell of farming during the dull period, and found a position in the office of the firm of Burling & Adler. Louis met him in Kinsley's restaurant, where the draftsmen from various architects' offices habitually lunched and talked shop. Edelmann suggested that Louis go over to his office to meet Adler. This was the first meeting between Dankmar Adler and his future partner.


Edelmann and Sullivan "entered the large bare room, drawing tables scattered about it; in the center were two plain desks...both partners were present and busy. Burling was slouched in a swivel chair, his long legs covering the desk top; he wiggled a chewed cigar as he talked to a caller, and spat into a square box. He was an incredible, long and bulky nosed Yankee, perceptibly aging fast, and of manifestly weakening will one of the passing generation who had done a huge business after the fire but whom the panic had hit hard. . . . Further away stood Adler at a draftsman's table. . . . He was a heavy-set short-nosed Jew, well bearded, with a magnificent domed forehead which stopped suddenly at a solid mass of black hair. He was a picture of sturdy strength, physical and mental. . . . His broad, serious face, and kindly brown, efficient eyes joined in a rich smile of open welcome. It did not take many ticks of the clock to note that Adler's brain was intensely active and ambitious, his mind open, broad, receptive,
and of an unusually high order. . . . The talk was brief and lively; Adler said nice things, questioned Louis as to his stay at the Beaux Arts. The little talk ended, Louis left; John remained in his preserve. This was the last Louis saw of Adler for many moons. He was pleased to have met him and to have reason heartily to respect his vigorous personality. But he was no part of Louis' program, hence he soon faded from view, and became almost completely forgotten."

It was not until about a year later that the two men came together again. John Edelmann had in the meantime established a partnership with George H. Johnson, a pioneer in the use of tile for fire-proofing buildings, but he kept in touch with his former employers.

One day early in 1879 Edelmann sought Louis out to tell him that Adler had dissolved his partnership with Burling, and had set up independently. Adler had put through the important new Central Music Hall, then under construction, and had other jobs
in the office. Edelmann urged that this was Louis' opportunity. Adler, he knew, would welcome a competent designer.

"So they made a second call on Adler. There ensued a mutual sizing-up at close range, very friendly indeed. And it was then and there agreed that Louis was to take charge of Adler's office, was to have a free hand, and, if all went well for a period and they should get along well together, there was something tangible in
the background. Louis took hold and made things hum. Soon there came into the office three large orders; a six-story high grade office building the Borden Block; an up-to-date theatre, and a large substantial residence. Louis put through the work with the efficiency of combined Moses Woolson and Beaux Arts training. It was his first fine opportunity. He used it. He found in Adler a most congenial co-worker, open-minded, generous-minded, quick to perceive, thorough-going, warm in his enthusiasms, opening to Louis every opportunity to go ahead on his own responsibility,
posting him on matters of building technique of which he had a complete grasp, and all in all treating Louis as a prize pet. . . .

Thus they became warm, friends. Adler said one day 'How would you like to take me into partnership?' Louis laughed. 'A11 right' said Adler, 'draw up a contract for five years, beginning first of May. First year you one-third, after that even.' Louis drew up a brief memorandum on a sheet of office stationery, which Adler read over once and signed. On the first day of May, 1880, D. Adler and Co. moved into a fine suite of offices on the top floor of the Borden Block aforesaid. On the first day of May, 1881, the firm of Adler & Sullivan, Architects, had its name on the entrancedoor." Thus after architectural training and experience of nearly
nine years, Sullivan became at the age of twenty-four a full partner
in one of the important architectural firms of Chicago.

And, in 1889, the firm of Adler & Sullivan moved their office into what I believe to be their most important building - The Auditorium.


From:Louis Sullivan Prophet Of Modern Architecture by Hugh Morrison (1935)

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Chicago History Caught in the Web

Ever Lovin' Chicago Ephemera

A hat tip goes to DUMPSITE for a heads-up to a great Flickr site "Mister Scantastic" called "Chicago Ephemera and Books." While you're over at Flickr, try a "Chicago ephemera" search and see what comes up. Lots of goodies!

National Mall Echoed Chicago History


Somehow, there always seems to be a Chicago connection to just about, well, everything...From the Chicago Tribune, "The sight Obama saw: How Daniel Burnham and his planners from the Chicago fair remade the National Mall. Photo Credit: Chicago Tribune

What Did You do During the Fire, Daddy?


My friend Cynthia over at the Chicago Genealogy blog has a great piece titled, "The Chicago Fire: Was Your Ancestor Insured?" Her blog is an off-shoot of the genealogists indispensable ChicagoGenealogy.com. I'm going to try and get Cynthia to share some of her interesting searches and discoveries with us - but no promises.

Shameless Plug


If today's piece over at the CHOnline Library had appeared over here in the Journal, I would have titled it "Punked, Nineteenth Century Style." I mean, who knew Eugene Field, the great Chicago Daily News writer an American poet, was the Ashton Kutcher of the 1890s? A new page on Field has been started at the Library and the ChicagoBookBabe Chicago History Channel over on YouTube is featuring some Eugene Field related videos. Quite the "Field Day." Groan...

A Sad List


Preservation Chicago has released the 2009 "Chicago 7," the most endangered buildings in Chicago. This year's list includes:
1. The Harper Theater
2. St. Boniface Church
3. Richard Nickel House
4. Meigs Field Terminal Building
5. Chicago Motor Club Building
6. Michael Reese Modern
7. "Old-fashioned" Wood Windows
You can learn more about each one on the Preservation Chicago website. Then go write a Congressman or Alderman.

Finders, Reapers


The Chicago History Museum blog is featuring an Encyclopedia of Chicago Tutorial (#1) this week. It can be tricky to find some things, so kudos to CHM for this helpful video with a promise of more to come.

A Great First Family of Chicago


Back in May of 2008, I wrote a post titled, "This Little Piggie Went to Market: The Advertising of N. K. Fairbank & Co." You might want to take a look at some of the comments over there that appeared only lately. To my extreme happiness, I am in touch with the descendants of N. K. and there will be more about this wonderfully kind, generous and somewhat tragic founding father of Chicago. Stay tuned.

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On Chicago: The Horrifying Urbs in Horto

... A growing thirst for beauty has come upon the city, and architects are earnestly studying how to assuage it. In magnificence of internal decoration, Chicago can already challenge the world: for instance, in the white marble vestibule and corridors of The Rookery, and the noble hall of the Illinois Trust Bank.

At the same time, no account of the city scenery of Chicago is complete without the admission that the gorges and canyons of its central district are exceedingly draughty, smoky, and dusty. Even in these radiant spring days, it fully acts up to its reputation as the Windy City. This peculiarity renders it probably the most convenient place in the world for the establishment of a Suicide Club on the Stevensonian model. With your eyes peppered with dust, with your ears full of the clatter of the elevated road, and with the prairie breezes playfully buffeting you and waltzing with you by turns, as they eddy through the ravines of Madison, Monroe, or Adams Street, you take your life in your hand when you attempt the crossing of State Street, with its endless stream of rattling wagons and clanging trolley cars.

... The smoke of Chicago has a peculiar and aggressive individuality, due, I imagine, to the natural clearness of the atmosphere. It does not seem, like London smoke, to permeate and blend with the air. It does not overhang the streets in a uniform canopy, but sweeps across and about them in gusts and swirls, now dropping and now lifting again its grimy curtain. You will often see the vista of a gorge-like street so choked with a seeming thunder-cloud that you feel sure a storm is just about to burst upon the city, until you look up at the zenith and find it smiling and serene. Again and again a sudden swirl of smoke across the street (like that which swept across Fifth Avenue when the Windsor Hotel burst into flames) has led me to prick up my ears for a cry of "Fire!" But Chicago is not so easily alarmed. It is accustomed to having its airs from heaven blurred by these blasts from hell. I know few spectacles more curious than that which awaits you when you have shot up in the express elevator to the top of the Auditorium tower—on the one hand, the blue and laughing lake, on the other, the city belching volumes of smoke from its thousand throats, as though a vaster Sheffield or Wolverhampton had been transported by magic to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. What a wonderful city Chicago will be when the commandment is honestly enforced which declares, "Thou shalt consume thine own smoke!"

From: "America Today" by William Archer (1899). Reprinted in The Development of Chicago, 1674-1914 By Milo Milton Quaife

Photo Credit: Smoke obscures buildings on Michigan Avenue. DN-0006658, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society. Date Published: 1908

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Who's Your Daddy?: Digging Up Chicago Roots

Historians use a timeline. Genealogists develop a family tree. Both of these tools are a means to construct a visual representation of what has gone before and our link to it.

I have only dabbled in genealogy and really didn't get very far; a copy of a ship's manifest found on the Ellis Island website was pretty much the sum total of my search. But, millions of people dig into old city directories, birth and death records, military records and a hundred other dusty files for information on their ancestors.

Chicago loves its history and Chicagoans, as I have recently discovered, are passionate about their family tree. And, to my surprise, Chicago History is a minor source of links to old Chicago records. Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog (hosted by Harold Henderson)that includes genealogy and family history in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, and neighbor and feeder states, recently discovered the UICU Digitized Book of the Week . And, from there, as stated in the post "Was Your Ancestor Working on the Illinois Central Railroad?" found the Illinois Central Employees' Magazine for the years 1914-1924:

Its profusely illustrated pages offer a fascinating cultural history of the railroad in American life and the place of the Illinois Central Railroad in the family life of its employees. Each issue featured an extensive article on a town along the ICR route, a column for homemakers, a column on railroad humor, and advice for employees on financial planning. Interwoven with these articles of parochial interest are features on railroad engineering, legal issues (train accidents abounded in the early days!), industries that relied heavily on the railroad, and politics. You can even read about General John "Black Jack" Pershing's visit to Urbana in 1922! A treasure trove of information for genealogists!

It's that old follow the Internet Road thing again. Glad I could help.

As a result of the post on Midwestern Microhistory I decided it would be appropriate to begin developing a link list for Chicago genealogy. When you get a chance, visit the Library (also see link in left column); I've opened a "Genealogy Room."

But, and it's a big one - I could really use some help from the Chicago genealogists out there. I have quickly learned that there are a great many sites and information pages. What are the best? Where does someone start their search? Is there a best family tree chart? What about genealogy software? Any books that are particularly useful? I'll include the suggestions on the "Genealogy Room" page and credit the contributor. Leave a comment or send me an email. I would love to hear from those skilled in genealogical research.

Finally, I would also like to hear from any descendants of old Chicagoans - notable or not. Let's see if there are any old Chicago branches still growing in the city.

Photo Credit: WikiTree

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On Chicago: Advice for Visitors

Mayor Daley and The City of Chicago Department of Tourism recently unveiled their redesigned major tourism website called ExploreChicago. You can read about the launch on NBC Chicago.

ExploreChicago is filled with typical useful information for visitors such as where to stay and things to do. It even has a page for visitors who happen to be History Buffs. My favorite page, however, is called Local Customs which provides handy tips to the first timer on navigating the urban jungle.

Alas, they missed a few good pointers. Today's "On Chicago" comes from a late nineteenth century print counterpart of the website: Chicago: An Instructive and Entertaining History of a Wonderful City: with a Useful Stranger's Guide By Rhodes & McClure Pub. Co., Chicago, 1888.

CAUTIONS TO TRAVELERS

1. Always make a bargain beforehand.
2. Take number of expressman, hackman, or cab-driver, in case of any difficulty, and report at office and to the police, at the City Hall.
3. Never repose confidence in strangers.
4. Hotel proprietors, according to the laws of Illinois, are not liable for guests' valuables unless placed in their care at the office.
5. Look out for the " elefant." Keep to the right.
6. Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut. Keep your feet from stumbling and your ways from guile.
7. Buy and use our " CHICAGO HISTORY AND GUIDE."



GOOD ADVICE FOR PLEASURE-SEEKERS IN LARGE CITIES(from the Omaha World.)

Keep sober.
Avoid crowds.
Keep to the right.
Don't tip the waiter.(Really?)
Don't talk to strangers.
Keep your wits about you.
Keep your eyes wide open.

Don't let strangers talk to you.

Do not talk loud, dress loud, nor act loud. (Could we have this rule apply to the trains?)

If you wear a watch, keep your coat buttoned up.

Never exhibit money or valuables in public places.

If you want information ask a uniformed police officer.

Never let your curiosity get the better of your discretion.

Don't try to create the impression that you are a millionaire.

Be sure that the way is clear before you attempt to cross the street. (Had a nice guy pull me out of the way of a bus at State and Randolph once.)

Always go about as if you were on business, whether you are or not.

Don't run after a street car. There will be another one along in time.

Don't patronize the shop that keeps a man on the sidewalk to urge you.

Don't be afraid to say 'no," and to say it understandingly and decisively.

Look out for the young man who wants to carry your gripsack for 10 cents.

Never expect to get something for nothing. It will be a dear purchase in the end. (Sounds like Ben Franklin.)

Move along on the sidewalk with the procession, and don't try to buck against it. (Shades of Henry Blake Fuller.)

When you are in doubt keep straight ahead until you meet a police officer then ask him.

You don't need much money to visit a dime museum. Leave what you don't require at home. (Seen the price of a theater ticket lately?)

Never hand the car conductor, bootblack, or newsboy a $5 bill and expect him to make change. (Today that would be called a downpayment.)

Look out for the fellow who wants to "step inside' or around the corner to change your bill. (And, nix on the alley, too.)

If you meet a friend or acquaintance don't stand and talk with him in the middle of the sidewalk.

Have your name and address and the name and address of some friend always in your pocket. (Or pinned to you sleeve.)

Make a memorandum of the street and number where you leave anything that you expect to get again.

Do not employ a hack or cab unless its number is conspicuously displayed, and remember the number.

Before starting for any given place ascertain the most direct route, and then follow it without asking questions.

Avoid the man who says he came from your town and mentions to you the names of some people you know.

Don't wrangle with a hackman but if you think he is swindling you, call a police officer, and leave the matter to him.

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The Chicago History Online Library is Open

While I have been waiting to see if Chicago History is going to survive the transition to its own domain, I have been working a bit on the Chicago History Online Library. There are only a few posts and the pages are sparse, but I have gone ahead and made it open for viewing. The site isn't listed on any search engines or directories yet, so the only way you're going to get there is from here. I hope you will find items of interest - if not now, but in the future. It is a work in progress, but I wanted to share. It also gives me something else to do other than wring my hands and moan pitifully...

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Chicago History Caught in the Web

The Chicago History Museum, in partnership with the Newberry Library, will be presenting an online exhibit titled, "Lincoln at 200." The exhibit, which focuses on Lincoln's political philosophy and how it helped him to navigate the turbulant Civil War years, is scheduled to launch today. Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday will be celebrated next month and the CHM and the Newberry are just two of the organizations participating in the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial events. No link as of this posting, but it is a presentation to watch for. I'll update when available.


I have to pass this on because the premise is so interesting and creative. Fellow blogger "cyurkanin" writes a blog titled 300 Words. I don't want to spoil it for you so read the explanation for the title on his blog. Today's post is headed, "Citizen Kane in the White City." His posts are like peanuts - you can't read just one.


I like old postcards of Chicago. Odds are that if you are reading this, you do too. I've listed several great postcard focused sites in the right column for our viewing pleasure. Well, is my face red! I missed a biggie. Check out Chuckman's Collection of vintage Chicago postcards. The link takes you to "Volume 1." Look for the links to Volumes 2 through 12. (Yes, you read that correctly.) There are also great old menus from some long-gone eateries and lots more. Granted, I would have liked to have some details, such as dates, building identification, etc. But, hey, we'll take it! Have fun!


I have a great book I want to alert you to: Magazines of a Market-metropolis: Being a History of the Literary Periodicals and Literary Interests of Chicago by Herbert Easton Fleming, University of Chicago, Published by University of Chicago Press, 1906. What were Chicagoans reading in 1850, or after the Great Fire or during the Columbian Exposition? There's some early background on the newspapers too. For those of us interested in the literary history of the city, this one is a real find.

Finally, my apologies for this rather abreviated post so late in the day. We've had a bit of a scare here at Chicago History and we need a couple days to sort things out.

You do back up your blog, do you not?

Recommended reading:
Abraham Lincoln Online

Photo Credits:
Abraham Lincoln: Wikipedia

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On Chicago: Newspapers

One of the most interesting aspects of studying history is observing how contemporary it is. "Mr. Dooley," Finley Peter Dunne's fictional Irish barkeeper with an opinion on everything, made the following observation regarding the newspapers at the turn of the twentieth century:

"Th' newspaper does ivrything f'r us. It runs th' polis foorce an' th' banks, commands th' milishy, conthrols th' ligislachure, baptizes th' young, marries th' foolish, comforts th' afflicted, afflicts th' comfortable, buries th' dead an' roasts thim aftherward. They ain't annything it don't turn its hand to fr'm explaining th' docthrine iv thransubstantiation to composin' saleratus biskit. Ye can get anny kind iv information ye want to in ye'er fav'rite newspaper about ye'ersilf or annywan else. What th' Czar whispered to th' Imp'ror Willum whin they were alone, how to make a silk hat out iv a wire matthress, how to settle th' coal sthrike, who to marry, how to get on with ye'er wife whin ye're married, what to feed th' babies, what doctor to call whin ye've fed thim as directed,--all iv that ye'll find in th' pa-apers.

"They used to say a man's life was a closed book. So it is but it's an open newspaper."

Substitute "Internet" for "newspaper," if you like. Some things do indeed never change.

Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936)
From: "Newspaper Publicity," Observations by Mr. Dooley

"Mr. Dooley" (1902)

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Where, What and When: Historic Maps of Old Chicago

Maps help us figure out where we are going and how to get there. But historical maps tell us where we've been. South Loop geographer and historian Dennis McClendon of Chicago CartoGraphics said in a January, 2008 East-West University press release, "Historic maps of Chicago tell intriguing stories about the city's origins and development. Vanished creeks and woods, big projects never accomplished, forgotten ethnic groups and neighborhoods, mysterious subdivisions, abandoned industrial areas, vice districts and world's fairs, ghosts of railroad stations and streetcar lines and freight tunnels, are all reminders of a constantly changing Loop.”

There are hundreds of historic maps of Chicago available on the Internet and many have interactive capability to zoom in for a detailed view. For example, the above Elmira Advertiser map showing the 1871 Burnt District is available, along with many others, for close examination at The David Rumsey Historical Map Collection.


Some of the available maps are actually contemporary and topically focused. Jazz Age Chicago has several area and venue specific maps for inspection on the Bright-Light Districts page and Mario Gomes' Al Capone Museum features two Levee District maps compiled by Bryan Lloyd.

I am partial to the old maps because of their position as a primary source and because they are often quite artistic. My favorite historic map of Chicago was printed in 1931 and is more than a map - it's a cautionary tale: Gangland Map, "A Map of Chicago's gangland from authentic sources: designed to inculcate the most important principles of piety and virtue in young persons, and graphically portray the evils and sin of large cities." (UIUC)


Sing a Song of Gangsters
A Pocket Full of Dough
Four and Twenty Bottles
Make a Case You Know

Note "King Al." To zoom in on all the wonderful details of the map click here.


For more historical Chicago maps:
Encyclopedia of Chicago

From: University of Chicago Library
Chicago in the 1890s
Chicago 1900-1914
Social Scientists Map Chicago
Map Links Page

General Chicago Area Maps (including ward maps)
Historical Maps Online: University Library (University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign)
Chicago Street Name Changes
Historical Maps of Chicago
From Adams Street, Looking South
Places Online
Using Historical Maps
Chicago Growth 1850-1990: Maps by Dennis McClendon

Photo Credits:
Wikipedia Commons, Historical maps of Chicago
Gangland Map from University of Texas at Austin. (Also available at UIUC Library)

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"HE"--The City: A Portrait

Chicago never ceases to amaze and inspire me. I usually take the South Shore into the city, getting off at the Van Buren St. stop. Walking up the steps and seeing the city emerge in the light just knocks me out and each time I announce my visit with an enthusiastic, "Hello, gorgeous!" But, it seems I have been incorrect to refer to Chicago with such a feminine adjective. I had not thought about it much before, but how, indeed, could I have the nerve to refer to the "guttersnipe" city of big shoulders as gorgeous? I am happy to be corrected by one of the great journalists of Chicago's past - Henry Justin Smith. Just don't make them like this anymore...the city or the writer.

The afternoon is fine. Sun and a light wind are working together. That huge sky is full of cirrus masses, rolling toward the south.

With but one hand on the wheel, the taxi-driver takes it easy, skimming the border of the lake, over which gulls are circling. Turning, he calls to his passenger:

"Now, where'd you say to go?...Hope we find what you want..."

He grows still more talkative; needs no invitation, for such is the way of the Chicago taxi-man.

"If you don't move fast, the thing you think is some place just ain't there...He changes so fast."

"He?"

"The town."

So the city is "he." It is somebody, and not to be spoken of, like other cities we know, as feminine. A big-boy city, growing mature but with young arteries. "He" has a personality...

If there were a "Who's Who" of cities, Chicago would fill out a questionnaire more verbosely than is the custom; something like this:

Born twice: As a town, August 10, 1833; as a city, March 4, 1837.

Son of the United States and the State of Illinois.

Early life one of extreme hardship; worked furiously through adolescence; sometimes could hardly call a dollar his own. Built a house and founded a fortune, without aid from rich relatives.

Studied during spare time and, while carrying on a growing business, acquired some degree of learning, appreciation of arts, and religious zeal.

Had such rapid success in business that, during early life, he neglected his dooryard, allowed his house to stand in a morass, and was careless about sewage, drinking water, and the like. But, aroused to this, he raised his house and lot bodily. Within forty years he had conquered insanitary conditions, and he and his family were in excellent health.

In 1871 he was burned out. Nearly all his business and investments were destroyed; his house with them. He scarcely paused to survey the ruins, but set to work rebuilding. And his new home was considered vastly better than the first one.

As he reached what appeared to be his prime, he became well known as a virile, broad-shouldered, rather careless but hospitable soul, who permitted all sorts of people to crowd his domain. Within his fences, the woes and quarrels of those people were many, and loudly expressed. He laughed and said, "Let every man speak his mind." He liked stentorian talk and a lively fight. But at the worst of times, he would step in and compose order.

Grown triumphantly rich, and having in his nature a love of beautiful things as well as material prowess, he built an exposition to which the world came. He began again rebuilding his entire property, using a careful plan for landscaping. He had invented a new way of constructing tall buildings, and he had learned the right use to make of his water frontage. Also, having gathered treasures of art, literature, and science, he began to exhibit them more widely. So people who came to visit him were often much astonished.

One of the great of the earth, a generous and vigorous soul, he confessed serious faults. He had never learned thoroughly to govern his family, nor even himself. His thoughtless hospitality permitted thieves, murderers, and plotters to come in. Getting them out again was a duty he seemed slow to recognize. But at last there were signs that this genial giant was making ready for a wholesale eviction.

Although having lived almost to his hundredth year, he was not old. Like mythical men of antiquity, he promised to live on, and to develop, through more centuries. And there were prophets who said that he would become not only big and powerful but also self-disciplined and wise.

Henry Justin Smith
Managing Editor, Chicago Daily News
From: Chicago: A Portrait (1931)

Photo courtesy of Justin M. Smith

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Chicago History Caught in the Web

OK; Breaks over. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.


Review Chicago is featuring a story on A Visit to the Historic Pullman District. George Pullman may be one of the most hated men in labor history, but the "Utopian" (from his point of view) worker's town he created is an important story in Chicago history. For more information on Pullman, see the links in the right column and the Historic Pullman Foundation website.

Gapers Block Book Club has their 2009 reading list posted on their new blog. If you live in the Chicago area, the reading group meets once a month at The Book Cellar (they also sell wine...could it get better?) in Lincoln Square. The monthly selected readings feature fiction by Chicago authors and nonfiction books about the city. Even if you don't live in the area, the selections provide a good list of reading for the year. Their October selection is Lords of the Levee by Herman Kogan and Lloyd Wendt. While you're at it, check out their 2008 Chicago Nonfiction in Review for books you may have missed.

The 2009 Winter/Spring Seminars at the Newberry Library include "Chicago's Rich and Rare Properties: Its Cemeteries" and "Discovering the Past Block-by-Block: Using ChicagoAncestors.org." Registration is open now and both seminars begin in February.

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Longtime "Chicago History" reader Jonathan Riley, and author of the wonderful article "The Lifting of Chicago," recently sent me a picture of the 2008 Notable Obituary page from the December 30th London Times. Chicago's own "Studs" was featured. Just goes to show how significant his work was to not only Chicago, but the world.

If you frequent these pages, you have noticed many changes and additions. There will be more - lots more. New link sets have been added with many more to come. More books will be featured - both old and new. You might want to take a "look/see" around the blog to see things you might have missed. Just thought I'd say...

Since this is really my first post of the new year, I want to take a moment to thank all the supporters of "Chicago History." If it weren't for them, this blog would have folded. Instead, my readership grows every day and it is to them I owe its growth. I mean, I have to be realistic. Nineteenth and early twentieth century Chicago history has a somewhat limited appeal (although WHY that is true, truly escapes me. That's a joke.) So, in order to acknowledge all the wonderful people out there in the dark, I'll be listing these great bloggers, who are not already listed under Chicago or History blogs, in the left column under "Friends and Supporters." I hope you will take some time to visit them.

Finally, this picture from the Niles Public Library just makes my day!

Back to the real business at hand tomorrow.

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New Year's Day Musical Interlude: Scott Joplin's "Wall Street Rag"

Scott Joplin's "Wall Street Rag" was published in 1909. According to John Roache's Ragtime MIDI Library,

the four strains of 'Wall Street' have descriptive headings which accurately convey the moods of the music. They are:
Strain 1 - "Panic in Wall Street, Brokers feeling melancholy".
Strain 2 - "Good times coming"
Strain 3 - "Good times have come"
Strain 4 - "Listening to the strains of genuine negro ragtime, brokers forget their cares."

I thought it might be appropriate for today.

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