Tales of Forgotten Chicago
Autor Richard C Lindbergen Limba Engleză Paperback – 27 iul 2020
Hidden gems from Chicago’s past
Tales of Forgotten Chicago contains twenty-one fascinating, little-known stories about a great city and its people. Richard C. Lindberg has dug deeply to reveal lost historical events and hidden gems from Chicago’s past.
Spanning the Civil War through the 1960s, the volume showcases forgotten crimes, punishments, and consequences: poisoned soup that nearly killed three hundred leading citizens, politicians, and business and religious leaders; a woman in showbiz and her street-thug husband whose checkered lives inspired a 1955 James Cagney movie; and the first police woman in Chicago, hired as a result of the senseless killing of a young factory girl in a racially tinged case of the 1880s.
Also included are tales of industry and invention, such as America’s first automobile race, the haunting of a wealthy Gilded Age manufacturer’s mansion, and the identity of the telephone’s rightful inventor. Chapters on the history of early city landmarks spotlight the fight to save Lakefront Park and how “Lucky” Charlie Weeghman’s north side baseball park became Wrigley Field. Other chapters explore civic, cultural, and political happenings: the great Railroad Fairs of 1948 and 1949; Richard J. Daley’s revival of the St. Patrick’s Day parade; political disrupter Lar “America First” Daly; and the founding of the Special Olympics in Chicago by Anne Burke and others. Finally, some are just wonderful tales, such asa touching story about the sinking of Chicago's beloved Christmas tree ship.
Engrossing and imaginative, this collection opens new windows into the past of the Windy City.
Tales of Forgotten Chicago contains twenty-one fascinating, little-known stories about a great city and its people. Richard C. Lindberg has dug deeply to reveal lost historical events and hidden gems from Chicago’s past.
Spanning the Civil War through the 1960s, the volume showcases forgotten crimes, punishments, and consequences: poisoned soup that nearly killed three hundred leading citizens, politicians, and business and religious leaders; a woman in showbiz and her street-thug husband whose checkered lives inspired a 1955 James Cagney movie; and the first police woman in Chicago, hired as a result of the senseless killing of a young factory girl in a racially tinged case of the 1880s.
Also included are tales of industry and invention, such as America’s first automobile race, the haunting of a wealthy Gilded Age manufacturer’s mansion, and the identity of the telephone’s rightful inventor. Chapters on the history of early city landmarks spotlight the fight to save Lakefront Park and how “Lucky” Charlie Weeghman’s north side baseball park became Wrigley Field. Other chapters explore civic, cultural, and political happenings: the great Railroad Fairs of 1948 and 1949; Richard J. Daley’s revival of the St. Patrick’s Day parade; political disrupter Lar “America First” Daly; and the founding of the Special Olympics in Chicago by Anne Burke and others. Finally, some are just wonderful tales, such asa touching story about the sinking of Chicago's beloved Christmas tree ship.
Engrossing and imaginative, this collection opens new windows into the past of the Windy City.
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Specificații
ISBN-13: 9780809337811
ISBN-10: 0809337819
Pagini: 280
Ilustrații: 24
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 x 25 mm
Greutate: 0.41 kg
Ediția:1st Edition
Editura: Southern Illinois University Press
Colecția Southern Illinois University Press
ISBN-10: 0809337819
Pagini: 280
Ilustrații: 24
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 x 25 mm
Greutate: 0.41 kg
Ediția:1st Edition
Editura: Southern Illinois University Press
Colecția Southern Illinois University Press
Notă biografică
Richard C. Lindberg is an award-winning author, journalist, and lecturer who has written nineteen other books about Chicago history, politics, criminal justice, sports, and ethnicity. The 2011 memoir of his Northwest Side boyhood, Whiskey Breakfast: My Swedish Family, My American Life, was named nonfiction book of the year by the Chicago Writer’s Association.
Extras
Introduction: Twenty-One Tales of Old Chicago
A city, in order for it to attain rightful grandeur among the capitals of the world, must first have a good story to tell. In its frantic pace to evolve from a desolate, marshy frontier town anchored by the wooden palisades of a military fort into a global rendezvous for international business, commerce, and the arts, Chicago has passed through many phases.
Echoing the words of Richard Wright who reminds us that “Chicago, it seems, has a way of leaving its imprint upon those who live in it,” the city has inspired its historians, chroniclers, and storytellers to pass down, from one generation to the next, in an affectionate manner of course, its fondest memories, saddest tales, ironic anecdotes, and keenest observations of people, places, and things that have gone before.1
Chicago, a city bathed in shadows and light. Chicago—the glistening jewel of the American heartland. Chicago, always notorious, lusty—a gawky, overgrown adolescent city in its most formative years—today, an international city and a hub for global business. Visit Chicago and see the world as it so often has been said. It still holds true.
Chicago always shall remain a city of imagination, a city of high hopes, and a refuge and sanctuary from the storm of life for the displaced, the poor, and the tired masses, and regrettably for some, a city of heartbreak.
Presented in this volume are twenty-one tales drawn from the divergent worlds of politics, show business, invention and innovation, sports, and crime and punishment, with an ensemble cast of quintessential Chicago characters—famous and forgotten dreamers, society mavens, inventors, planners, politicians, schemers, actors and actresses, idealists, visionaries, philanthropists, social engineers, crooks, cons, gamblers, and work-a-day people, spanning the midpoint of the nineteenth century up through the second half of the twentieth.
Within the broader framework of familiar historical currents such as the Great Chicago Fire and the saga of the sprawling Union Stockyards, the reader will find lesser known vignettes from the lost corners of Chicago. For example, who really started the Chicago Fire? I think I have come up with the answer and it’s not who you might think.
John Wilkes Booth spent some time in Chicago. So did Cardinal Mundelein, Lar Daly, Al Capone, Jane Addams, and history’s bypassed young genius who invented the telephone. And his name is not Alexander Graham Bell.
I have deliberately left out Mr. Capone and Ms. Addams with all due respect to the latter, because their stories have been told and retold in countless books, articles, and electronic media. By design, I have chosen to sidestep the 1893 World’s Fair in favor of the 1948–1949 Railroad Fair, because, after all, what more can possibly be said about Chicago’s great “coming out party,” the grand pageant of illumination and invention marking the earliest stirrings of globalization for Chicago. Yes, it is true that an inspired, awestruck L. Frank Baum fashioned the Wizard of Oz and his fabled, romanticized Emerald City from the spectacle of the White City in Jackson Park.
I submit, however, that the spirit of any great city is best captured not by a handful of isolated historical events, but rather through collective storytelling about its people. I therefore present in twenty-one chapters, Chicago—in the estimation of many, the most American of all American cities—in all its unvarnished glory.
Echoing the words of Richard Wright who reminds us that “Chicago, it seems, has a way of leaving its imprint upon those who live in it,” the city has inspired its historians, chroniclers, and storytellers to pass down, from one generation to the next, in an affectionate manner of course, its fondest memories, saddest tales, ironic anecdotes, and keenest observations of people, places, and things that have gone before.1
Chicago, a city bathed in shadows and light. Chicago—the glistening jewel of the American heartland. Chicago, always notorious, lusty—a gawky, overgrown adolescent city in its most formative years—today, an international city and a hub for global business. Visit Chicago and see the world as it so often has been said. It still holds true.
Chicago always shall remain a city of imagination, a city of high hopes, and a refuge and sanctuary from the storm of life for the displaced, the poor, and the tired masses, and regrettably for some, a city of heartbreak.
Presented in this volume are twenty-one tales drawn from the divergent worlds of politics, show business, invention and innovation, sports, and crime and punishment, with an ensemble cast of quintessential Chicago characters—famous and forgotten dreamers, society mavens, inventors, planners, politicians, schemers, actors and actresses, idealists, visionaries, philanthropists, social engineers, crooks, cons, gamblers, and work-a-day people, spanning the midpoint of the nineteenth century up through the second half of the twentieth.
Within the broader framework of familiar historical currents such as the Great Chicago Fire and the saga of the sprawling Union Stockyards, the reader will find lesser known vignettes from the lost corners of Chicago. For example, who really started the Chicago Fire? I think I have come up with the answer and it’s not who you might think.
John Wilkes Booth spent some time in Chicago. So did Cardinal Mundelein, Lar Daly, Al Capone, Jane Addams, and history’s bypassed young genius who invented the telephone. And his name is not Alexander Graham Bell.
I have deliberately left out Mr. Capone and Ms. Addams with all due respect to the latter, because their stories have been told and retold in countless books, articles, and electronic media. By design, I have chosen to sidestep the 1893 World’s Fair in favor of the 1948–1949 Railroad Fair, because, after all, what more can possibly be said about Chicago’s great “coming out party,” the grand pageant of illumination and invention marking the earliest stirrings of globalization for Chicago. Yes, it is true that an inspired, awestruck L. Frank Baum fashioned the Wizard of Oz and his fabled, romanticized Emerald City from the spectacle of the White City in Jackson Park.
I submit, however, that the spirit of any great city is best captured not by a handful of isolated historical events, but rather through collective storytelling about its people. I therefore present in twenty-one chapters, Chicago—in the estimation of many, the most American of all American cities—in all its unvarnished glory.
Cuprins
Contents
Introduction: Twenty-One Tales of Old Chicago
Chapter 1. The Brothers Booth
Chapter 2. The Family O’Leary and the Rest of the Story
Chapter 3. Four Butchers Trying to Go to Heaven
Chapter 4. Elisha Gray and the Invention of the Telephone
Chapter 5. Crime and Punishment and the First Policewoman
Chapter 6. Where Time Began
Chapter 7. The Scarlet Letter Verdict
Chapter 8. The Lakefront Forever Open, Clear, and Free
Chapter 9. The Haunting of the Schuttler House
Chapter 10. Stars and Bars and the Symbol of a City
Chapter 11. America’s First Automobile Race
Chapter 12. The Rouse Simmons and Chicago’s FirstChristmas Tree
Chapter 13. Wrigley Field before the Cubs
Chapter 14. The Last Supper . . . Almost
Chapter 15. The Leaning Tower Why?
Chapter 16. A World’s Fair of Railroading
Chapter 17. The Windy City Songbird
Chapter 18. How Richard J. Daley Saved the St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Chapter 19. He Ran for His Life
Chapter 20. All in a Hard Day’s Night
Chapter 21. Humanity in the Heartland
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Introduction: Twenty-One Tales of Old Chicago
Chapter 1. The Brothers Booth
Chapter 2. The Family O’Leary and the Rest of the Story
Chapter 3. Four Butchers Trying to Go to Heaven
Chapter 4. Elisha Gray and the Invention of the Telephone
Chapter 5. Crime and Punishment and the First Policewoman
Chapter 6. Where Time Began
Chapter 7. The Scarlet Letter Verdict
Chapter 8. The Lakefront Forever Open, Clear, and Free
Chapter 9. The Haunting of the Schuttler House
Chapter 10. Stars and Bars and the Symbol of a City
Chapter 11. America’s First Automobile Race
Chapter 12. The Rouse Simmons and Chicago’s FirstChristmas Tree
Chapter 13. Wrigley Field before the Cubs
Chapter 14. The Last Supper . . . Almost
Chapter 15. The Leaning Tower Why?
Chapter 16. A World’s Fair of Railroading
Chapter 17. The Windy City Songbird
Chapter 18. How Richard J. Daley Saved the St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Chapter 19. He Ran for His Life
Chapter 20. All in a Hard Day’s Night
Chapter 21. Humanity in the Heartland
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Recenzii
"Reading Richard Lindberg’s new book Tales of Forgotten Chicago is like spending the afternoon exploring Chicago’s attic. Nestled in amongst the holiday decorations and old suitcases are people, places, and events that were once the talk of the Windy City, but have since slipped from civic memory."—Dana Dunham, Chicago Review of Books
"Each story is so well researched and so rich in details that the book is best read in small bites, so you can savor the specifics and maybe plan an excursion to some historical sites you didn't get to on those grade-school field trips. Tales of Forgotten Chicago is ideal for those new to Chicago who want to immerse themselves in what is truly special about this town, or for long-timers who wish to add to their collection of "only-in-Chicago" stories to impress out of towners."—Wayne Turmel, Windy City Reviews
“An inherently fascinating read from first page to last, Tales of Forgotten Chicago is an extraordinary work of investigative scholarship that could well serve as a template for similar volumes showcasing the colorful history of other major American cities. An absolutely and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as community, college, and university library American History collections in general, and Chicago History supplemental studies lists in particular.”—James A. Cox, Midwest Book Review
“This book goes both deeper and broader than other Chicago history books to shine a well-deserved spotlight on lesser known yet significant and fascinating people, places, and events related to the development of the city. Lindberg is one of Chicago’s most popular historians, so it’s no surprise that this smorgasbord of stories is authoritative yet easy to read, important yet entertaining, somewhat familiar yet surprising. This book is full of engaging pleasures. It’s a must-read for anyone drawn to Chicago history.”—Greg Borzo, author of Chicago’s Fabulous Fountains
“Tales of Forgotten Chicago is a compilation of stories of a little-known other side of Chicago—a side that is infinitely more interesting than one more book about the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.”—Richard F. Bales, author of The Great Chicago Fire and the Myth of Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow
"Each story is so well researched and so rich in details that the book is best read in small bites, so you can savor the specifics and maybe plan an excursion to some historical sites you didn't get to on those grade-school field trips. Tales of Forgotten Chicago is ideal for those new to Chicago who want to immerse themselves in what is truly special about this town, or for long-timers who wish to add to their collection of "only-in-Chicago" stories to impress out of towners."—Wayne Turmel, Windy City Reviews
“An inherently fascinating read from first page to last, Tales of Forgotten Chicago is an extraordinary work of investigative scholarship that could well serve as a template for similar volumes showcasing the colorful history of other major American cities. An absolutely and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as community, college, and university library American History collections in general, and Chicago History supplemental studies lists in particular.”—James A. Cox, Midwest Book Review
“This book goes both deeper and broader than other Chicago history books to shine a well-deserved spotlight on lesser known yet significant and fascinating people, places, and events related to the development of the city. Lindberg is one of Chicago’s most popular historians, so it’s no surprise that this smorgasbord of stories is authoritative yet easy to read, important yet entertaining, somewhat familiar yet surprising. This book is full of engaging pleasures. It’s a must-read for anyone drawn to Chicago history.”—Greg Borzo, author of Chicago’s Fabulous Fountains
“Tales of Forgotten Chicago is a compilation of stories of a little-known other side of Chicago—a side that is infinitely more interesting than one more book about the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.”—Richard F. Bales, author of The Great Chicago Fire and the Myth of Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow
Descriere
Twenty-one fascinating, little-known stories about a great city and its people spanning the Civil War through the 1960s, the volume showcases forgotten crimes, punishments, and consequences. Also included are tales of industry and invention, and civic, cultural, and political happenings.