MID-1800s CHICAGO
“When it is not dusty it is muddy. The dust has no top, and the mud no bottom.”
- F.B. Wilke. Walks about Chicago, 1871-1881 and Army and Miscellaneous Sketches
- F.B. Wilke. Walks about Chicago, 1871-1881 and Army and Miscellaneous Sketches
“The city was a marsh in wet
weather. ‘No bottom here!’ was a sign frequently displayed to warn unwary
country teamsters not to bury themselves without a coroner’s jury to determine
the cause of the untimely burial.”
- John V. Farwell. Some Recollections of John V. Farwell: a brief description of his early life and business reminiscences
- John V. Farwell. Some Recollections of John V. Farwell: a brief description of his early life and business reminiscences
Chicago in the mid-1800's had a mud problem. Built on a lakeside marsh, the city turned back to its origins in wet weather.
A popular joke at that time illustrated the seriousness of the muddy streets:
“...a passerby came upon a man whose head and shoulders protruded from the the muck in the middle of the street. ‘Can I help?' asked the passerby. ‘No, thank you,' replied the man. ‘I have a fine horse under me.'" - David Young, Chicago Tribune |
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“Cholera outbreaks account for the high death rates during 1850 and 1854."
(Source: Northwestern University) |
The seas of mud allowed for the spread of Cholera. “The people died at the rate of sixty per day, and the death cart was seen continually in the streets. On Friday and Saturday, the 8th and 9th of July, the streets seemed full of hearses and coffins, and on Sunday there was a grand exodus, many hundreds of people fleeing from the city."
- Chicago Tribune, July 11, 1854 |
The Board of Sewerage Commissioners decided that a storm sewer system would be best to combat the mud. For the streets to properly drain, the Common Council passed ordinances to raise the entire city 4 to 14 feet. |
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“In 1855, the city [Chicago] embarked on a far-fetched scheme to hoist itself out of the mud and gunk. On the 155th anniversary [August 2010] of the project’s launch, we take a lively illustrated look back." [Original Caption: Lilli Carre, Chicago Magazine]
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By 1871, the entire city was jacked up and put on raised wooden sidewalks. |