Chicago Shall Rise Again!
One hundred thirty-eight years ago today Chicago suffered a great disaster. The Great Chicago fire began on October 8, 1871 and did not burn itself out for two days. Hundreds were killed. Thousands lost their homes, businesses and belongings. I am updating the Internet links with information on the Great fire and will also be adding books available online that give a graphic picture of those horrific days. Note: all of my Chicago History sites will be providing information on the fire. Watch for updates over the next few days.
Ship of Screams: The Eastland Disaster
Chicago has had more than its shares of disasters and the sinking of the S. S. Eastland on July 24, 1915 was one of the worst. 845 crew and passengers lost their lives on a day that was supposed to be one of fun for the Western Electric Company employees. Many of the victims were women and children and, in some cases, whole families were drowned. Bodies were removed to a cold storage warehouse nearby which today is Harpo Studios.
Links to internet sites on The Eastland disaster have been updated. Be sure to view the postcards.
McCutcheon
My introduction to John T. McCutcheon really occured the first time I visited the Fine Arts Building. You can read about it in my Journal post, “Living History.” At the time I really didn’t understand who McCutcheon was – although I was sitting in his studio. I knew he was the man who had drawn the famous cartoon, “Injun Summer,” but that was about it. Oh, how things change! Now I might be too in awe to cross the threshold. Fortunately, many examples of his cartoons are available online as are books with his illustrations. I’ve added a list of the books I have found so far and am updating the list of web sites with information on Chicago’s greatest cartoonist and illustrator.
Columbian Exposition Updates
Columbian Exposition, Currier and Ives. Library of Congress neg. no. LC-USZC2-3394
I am constantly amazed at the amount of information about the Columbian Exposition available on the Internet. There is always a new website or book to explore. Since this is “Fair” week for my Chicago History blogs, I’m updating the links. I have also added a new section of fictional books set at the Fair which should provide some fun reading. Columbian Exposition collectors provide some of the most interesting pages also. I still need to go through the Journal and pull miscellaneous links, but I’ll get to it. There is a great deal more work to do on transferring links. I hope you are enjoying this new format for Chicago history links.
Chicago’s Sculptor, Lorado Taft
Lorado Taft has always intrigued me. When I’m in Chicago I always take time to pay a visit to his “Fountain of the Great Lakes” outside the Art Institute and, of course, there is his former little studio across the street in the Fine Arts Building. The fountain consists of five lovely ladies representing each of The Great Lakes. It was dedicated in 1913 and firmly established Taft as a leader in Chicago’s artistic community. As a teacher, artist, Chicago booster and bohemian, Lorado Taft made his mark on the city by helping to change the way people looked at public sculpture. For more on Taft, see the updated list of Internet links and Timothy J. Garvey’s book, Public Sculptor: Lorado Taft and the Beautification of Chicago.
A Favorite Chicago Author
“Men and women hurried by in long, shifting lines. She felt the flow of the tide of effort and interest—felt her own helplessness without quite realizing the wisp on the tide she was”
I see quite a bit of poetry in the writing of Theodore Dreiser, while others find his novels dry and wordy. I enjoy Dreiser’s use of the author as social commentator – placing himself in the story and his disdain for consumerism is appropriate for a time when the production of goods was exploding as a result of the Industrial Revolution’s arrival in America. He was a man of his times. While he appeared to be somewhat of a stodgy professor type, he was not. The more one reads of Dreiser and about him I believe the more they will appreciate the man and his work.
The links page of Theodore Dreiser has been updated, and there are a number of his books available online. If you had to read Sister Carrie in high school, you probably hated it. But, when all is said and done, the story is quite contemporary. Try him.
Hinky Dink and Bathhouse Links Being Added
I began adding links to pages on our favorite First Ward Aldermen today. The Journal is featuring one of Coughlin’s – how shall I say it? – “unique” poems, so I thought this was a good time to start a page on the boys. Of particular interest is an article from National Magazine that Bathhouse wrote in response to Carrie Nation hacking up the local watering holes. Lords of the Levee by Lloyd Wendt and Herman Kogan, however, remains the best source for information on Chicago’s dynamic duo. As always, I’ll be adding to the list as Internet sites are located.
Righting Wright
I am updating and adding more links to CHO today, beginning with Frank Lloyd Wright. It was a very incomplete list. I have listed the “Murder at Taliesan” posts from The Chicago History Journal and will be adding more as I have time to go through my files. New sets of links will be added continually, but be sure to continue searching The Journal and CHO for information. If a topic has no links at this time, be sure to check back. I will be adding references regularly.
The Chicago History Links Are Back…Sort Of
The transfer of the links formally located on the Chicago History Journal is just about complete. There is, however, much more work to do. Many links are in the postings that need to be transferred. Also, commentary and graphics are yet to come. I have tried to categorize the links appropriately, but if you have any suggestions on making the pages easier to navigate, please let me know. Thank you for your patience.
Back to work…
Welcome
Chicago History Online is another supplement to The Chicago History Journal. It will be the site of the link lists now in the right column of the main blog. I decided to create this satellite site because as the Journal grows and more links are added, the blog will become too cluttered and load slower and slower.
Posts on Chicago History Online will simply be announcements of updates and the addition of new links. It will be somewhat of a “no frills” site. As of today, the current links are primarily on one page, “Links.” That will change. My intention is to separate the sets by categories – People, Events, Places, etc. I think this will provide for easier navigation.
With the addition of Chicago History Online, available links will be simply listed on the Journal and linked to the appropriate link page on this site. It will take some time to get things sorted out, but I believe that in the long run it will be beneficial for those looking for more information on a particular topic.
Thank you to all the Chicago History Journal supporters who have made the site so successful and welcome to Chicago History Online.
