History

From the 1910s through the Depression 30s, when Chicago was the undisputed hobo capital of the United States, a small north side neighborhood known as Towertown was the vital center of an extraordinary cultural/political ferment. It was home to Bughouse Square (the nation's most renowned outdoor free-speech center), Ben Reitman's Hobo College, and the fabulous Dil Pickle Club, a highly unorthodox institution of higher learning that doubled as the craziest nightclub in the world. In such places, and in scores of other nearby open forums, tea-rooms, little theaters, bookshops, art galleries, taverns, and cafes, Wobblies, anarchists, and other agitators mingled and debated with a wide range of jazz-age artists, writers, musicians, and eccentrics. It was something like New York's Greenwich Village, but-thanks to the prominence of the Chicago-based IWW-much more workingclass, and more openly revolutionary. Frank O. Beck's "Hobohemia" contains a long-time Towertowner's vivid reminiscences of this colorful, dynamic, creative and radical community that flourished for a generation despite constant onslaughts from the Red Squad, the Vice Squad, bourgeois journalists, fundamentalists and other bigots. Some of the characters he writes about are well known-Emma Goldman, Lucy Parsons, Ben Reitman, Jane Addams-but Beck's personal recollections of them will be new to most readers. Even more exciting are his memories of such less-well-known personalities as "Red" Martha Biegler, widely regarded as the greatest woman orator at the Square; softspoken labor organizer Anna Martindale; Nina van Zandt Spies, widow of Haymarket martyr August Spies; and irascible Jack Jones, the former Wobbly who from 1916 till his death in 1940 served as the Dil Pickle's ringleader and referee. Originally published in 1956, "Hobohemia" has long been out of print and hard to find. This new edition is long overdue, for the book is still one of the best firsthand accounts of a unique place and time. Franklin Rosemont's introduction provides a historical overview of Chicago's working class counter-culture and a biographical sketch of Beck. It also relates the book to earlier and later literature on the subject and fills in some gaps in the narrative. Helpful notes in the text correct a few errors. Also new in this edition are the illustrations, and a useful index.

When French explorers Jolliet and Marquette used the Chicago portage to access the Mississippi River system, the Chicago River was but a humble, even sluggish, stream in the right place at the right time. That's the story of the making of Chicago. This is the other story; the story of the making and perpetual re-making of a river by everything from pre-glacial forces to the interventions of an emerging and mighty city. Author Libby Hill brings together years of original research and the contributions of dozens of experts to tell the Chicago River's epic tale from its conception in prehistoric bedrock to the glorious rejuvenation it's undergoing today, and every exciting episode in between.

Chicago boasts more landmarks in blues history than any other place north of the Mississippi Delta. This guidebook brings together everything fans will need to know about the blues in Chicago for both newcomers and longtime devotees of the genre. A handy and informative way to enrich the experience of this celebrated music.

In the summer of 1934, a baby goat fell off a truck and made its way into a tavern owned by Greek immigrant William Sianis, and an icon was born. Soon the Billy Goat Inn became a haven for police, politicians, reporters, and anyone else hungry for hospitality and the unique atmosphere "Billy Goat" Sianis had to offer. But did Billy really jinx the Cubs? When he and one of his goats were barred from entering Wrigley Field during the 1945 World Series, the Cubs' loss fueled a legend. Today there are seven Billy Goat Taverns, and within this volume you'll be sat down next to luminaries such as Mike Royko, John Belushi, Bill Murray, and Don Novello as you are reminded why the American Tavern is still the friendliest place in town.

Family historian Grace DuMelle provides the means to trace your Chicago connections like a pro. She shows you not just what to research, but how to research. Without wading through lots of preliminaries, choose any of the self-contained chapters that focus on the questions beginners most want answered and jump right in! (From publisher)

Midway was Chicago's first official airport, and for decades it was the busiest airport in the nation, and then the world. Its story is an American story, encompassing heroes and villains, generosity and greed, boom and bust, progress and decline, and in the final chapter, rebirth. Join Christopher Lynch as he combines oral histories, narrative, and historic and contemporary photos to celebrate the rich and exciting 75-year history of this colorful airport and the evolution of aviation right along with it. Heroes and Daredevils Meet a cast of characters whose dreams, courage, and resolution put the pieces in place for one of the country's most historic airports as they first charted the space between Heaven and Earth from the Chicago area. Inventors. Barnstormers. Airmail flyers. World War aviators. Industrialists. All-star pilots like Charles Lindbergh, Jimmy Doolittle, and Bessie Coleman. Transportation Hub Follow a bustling, centralized metropolis as it evolves from the nation's railroad capital of the 19th century to the aviation leader of the 20th, both roles intersecting in the 1940s when train tracks of the largest railroad in the country ran through the airfields of Midway, the world's busiest airport. Heart of a Neighborhood Journey to a residential neighborhood with one-square-mile of excitement at its core: An airport that served as employer, visitor's attraction, social center, and lifeline to glamour. One with its elementary school just yards away from an active runway. Crossroads of the World Relive Midway's heyday — a golden era when movie stars and international dignitaries routinely deplaned there to great media fanfare, when Marshall Field's Cloud Room provided elegant dining with a panoramic view of the tarmac. Birth of the Airlines Watch the emergence of fledgling airlines at Midway—United, American, and others—that changed forever the way people traveled. From there began the brutal competition that still marks the industry today. It ended the dominance of the railroads, legislated the inexpensive "non-skeds" out of business, and re-emerged in the 1990s with such no-frills carriers as ATA and Southwest Airlines that continue operating successfully from Midway today. Reinvention Discover an airport penned in by its own success, unable to expand and initially unable to accommodate the jet age. Through persistence, repositioning, political maneuvering, and ongoing reinvention, the cherished Midway is once again on top, thriving in a new age of challenges in the air.

A history of Chicago political upheaval in 1968 during the Democratic National Convention and riots. Includes a timeline and index of important contributors.