“QUEEN OF THE WEST"
'Twas night in the elegant city,
The rich and voluptuous city,
The beauty-thronged, mansion-decked city,
Gay Queen of the North and the West.
- Will Carleton
The rich and voluptuous city,
The beauty-thronged, mansion-decked city,
Gay Queen of the North and the West.
- Will Carleton
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“Gem of the Prairie", “Garden City", “Queen City"; Chicago was the most prominent city in the midwest and rivaled the most developed cities in the east. “It was the crossroads of the nation, a great railroad center filled with meat-packing houses, grain elevators, a huge furniture industry, and an ever-growing number of the most modern hotels and residences." - Corinne J. Naden |
From its humble origins as a trading post, Fort Dearborn, Chicago had grown from a population of fewer than 100 in 1833 to a boomtown with 334,000 inhabitants in 1871. Its location near major waterways allowed the expansion of industry in the city. CLICK TO ENLARGE
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THREE SIDES OF THE “Y”
In 1871, Chicago's districts were partitioned by their location in relation to the Y-shaped Chicago River.
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The West Division:
homes of the working class (small frame buildings, close together and partitioned by wooden fences), bordering the river: a small robust residential area with industries
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The North Division:
a wealthy residential area belonging to the upper middle class, full of handsome homes made of stone and brick with a few industries and grain elevators.
The South Division:
business sections, worst of Chicago's slums.
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