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ILLINOIS LEGENDS
Chicago - The Route
66 Journey Begins |
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Greetings From Chicago Postcard
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 Chicago,
Illinois
where Route
66 begins, has a long and rich history along its way to
becoming the third largest city in the United States. Many of
the vintage era icons have been obliterated with urbanization;
however, it still has a few, especially along the outskirts of the
city, and downtown Chicago
provides a rich view of historical buildings at the very place where
Route 66
begins.
The first settler in
the Chicago
area was in 1781 by the name of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, an
African American from Santo Domingo. He chose a location at the mouth
of the Chicago River for its strategic value for a trading post. Later in 1802 the same site was occupied by Fort Dearborn, which was
regularly attacked by Native Americans, until Chief Black Hawk was
defeated in 1832. One year later, Chicago
was officially incorporated as a town and by 1837 it boasted more than
4,000 residents.
In 1848, the first
railroad reached Chicago
and the town really began to boom. By 1860 it had a dozen
railroad lines into the city and a population of more than 100,000. Incredibly, just ten years later, this number had tripled and
Chicago
was on its way to becoming one of the biggest cities in the nation.
In 1871 disaster
struck the city with the Great Chicago
Fire laying the town in ashes. Raging for two days on October 8th
and 9th, the fire destroyed 3.5 square miles, 17,450
buildings, and killed as many as 250 people. Sparks from the
fire were so bad that they destroyed more than a million acres of
Michigan and Wisconsin timberland.
However, Chicago
endured and just six weeks after the fire, construction of more than
300 buildings had begun.
Continuing to grow at
a rapid pace, Chicago
developed "The El,” its first elevated railway in 1891. Circling
the city’s downtown area, it was soon called the "Loop.” Though
obviously not the same engines of the 19th century, the
"El” and the "Loop” continue to service Chicago
commuters today.
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It was also this same year
that saw Chicago's first skyscraper, the 16-story Monadnock Building at 53 W.
Jackson Boulevard.
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In 1893 Chicago
hosted the World Columbian Exposition which commemorated the discovery of
America by Columbus some 400 years ago. Staging this magnificent
event cost more than 27 million dollars. Hosted from May, 1893
through October, 1893 the fair covered 633 acres and attracted 27 million
visitors, almost half of the US total population at that time.
Several firsts were
introduced at the fair including Cracker Jacks, Aunt Jemima Syrup,
diet soda, and Pabst Beer. It was here that the carnival concept was
born, the hamburger was introduced, and the United States introduced its
first commemorative stamp and coin sets.
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Chicago World Columbian
Exposition Grounds in 1893, courtesy Library of Congress.
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During the exposition,
New York Sun editor Charles Dana, tired of hearing Chicagoans boast of
the world's Columbian Exposition, dubbed Chicago the "Windy City," a name
which has obviously stuck to this day.
In 1896, Chicago saw
the conviction of one of the nation’s first serial killers, Herman Mudgett. This little known killer, who went by the name of Henry H. Holmes was
suspected of murdering hundreds of people using poison and gas, mainly
young ladies seduced during the grand Chicago
exposition, for the sheer pleasure of cutting up their bodies. Mudgett graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School, but soon
embarked upon a life of swindling, torture and murder. Building a
torture chamber at 63rd and Wallace, his sole purpose was
murder. The building, equipped with gas chambers, incinerators and
other horrific devices also had chutes that led to the basement where he
could dispose of the bodies in iron tanks of acid and lime and a
crematory. He was finally hanged on May 7, 1896.
Before the advent of
Route 66, there was already a popular road from
Chicago
to
St. Louis called
the Pontiac Trail. In 1918,
Illinois
began to pave the road and by the time
Route 66 was instituted it was entirely paved. By 1927, the
Route 66 signs were visible all along the
Illinois route and
Chicago
sported numerous services to accommodate the travelers. It was
during this time that Louis Armstrong, as a member of "King Oliver's
Creole Jazz Band", had become a mainstay in
Chicago,
helping to usher in the Jazz Age.
Continued Next
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Chicago in 1863, courtesy
Library of Congress
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From the Rocky Mountain General Store
 Framed
Route 66 Prints - These original
Route 66 prints combine our own photographs and graphic designs for
colorful displays of some of the most famous
Mother Road sights and icons. Perfect for both home and office, they
also make great gifts for
Route 66 enthusiasts. All prints are custom manufactured using
archival inks and acid-free paper. Framed prints are matted and framed in
a stylish black frame with plexiglass cover. Frames include complete
backing. Frame size: 19" x 13." Click
HERE to see them all!
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