The Blizzard of '29

Like the rest of the nation, Chicago was still reeling from the Stock Market crash late in 1929. In December, Chicagoans were busily preparing for Christmas unaware of the deep depression that would cripple the nation for years. And, then it hit. A blizzard bombarded the city from December 17th through the 20th dropping 15 inches of snow, and it would become the sixth worst snowstorm in Chicago history. Twelve people would perish because of the storm.

While thousands of men were put to work clearing the streets, John T. McCutcheon focused his front page editorial cartoon on Chicago's lack of a subway.

Plans for passenger subway service in Chicago date back to the turn of the 20th century, and the original permits to dig the freight tunnels allowed for future cut-and-cover subway development above the tunnels. In the 1930s, when the Chicago Rapid Transit Company and the city finalized the design of the State Street and Dearborn street subways, plans called for the tunnels to be dug through the blue clay along the line originally followed by the freight tunnels. Excavation debris from the new subway tunnels was hauled away by the Chicago Tunnel Company as the subway replaced the freight tunnels along their route.
The Chicago Tunnel Company went bankrupt and applied for voluntary reorganization in 1956. The tunnel company attempted to sever itself from the bankrupt holding company, claiming it could operate at a profit, but by 1959, the tunnel asked for abandonment permission. The Interstate Commerce Commission consented to abandonment that July, and the tunnel assets were sold at auction for $64,000 in October. (Wikipedia, Chicago Tunnel Company)

It was a good idea in 1929 to stay off the streets during a blizzard, and it's a good idea today. Let's be careful out there...

Photo credit: LaSalle Street Station, The Library of Congress (Chicago Daily News negatives collection, DN-0003451