Wicker Park was just a prairie before two brothers Charles and Joel Wicker purchased land along Milwaukee Avenue in 1870. When the Great Chicago Fire happened, and the city was starting to rebuild itself some chicagoans looked beyond the city limits. The land attracted families wanted to rebuild after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. The Great Fire spurred the first wave of development. Homeless chicagoans looked for building new houses. Eleven days after the fire the Aid society had 200 lots on Milwaukee Avenue for the construction of cheaps homes for the victims of the fire along Milwaukee Ave(Kreashko,2015). German, Scandinavians and other immigrants moved to Wicker Park after the Great Fire(Heidemann,2013). Wicker Park became a resident …show more content…
When they witnessed the vulnerability of the wood construction many of the residents of wicker park started making their homes out of bricks and stone. In 1890 wicker park was an architectural showplace, with houses designed in various styles(Best,2005). All the houses were in a circle surrounding the park that community was named after. Most of Wicker Park was made up of wealthy residents, but everything change in the 19th century. During the 19th century working-class African Americans and Eastern Europeans who lived in small cottages filled up the streets(Best,2005). In 1930s Wicker Park undergo a dramatic racial and class change. The wealthy abandoned their mansions while the poor and the working-class kept on …show more content…
But unfortunately it was cut short. Wicker Park didn’t dodge the troubles of the Great Depression of 1929. The financial crisis occurred and the industries and businesses owners that called Wicker Park their home had to close their doors(Kreashko,2015). The great fire birthed Wicker Park, the great collapse ended the first glorious age of Wicker Park.
In Nelson Algren book The Man with the Golden Arm and Never Come Morning focuses on junkies, gamblers, and drunks in some areas in the neighborhood(Nelson Algren). His book Never Come Morning was banned for decades from the chicago public library. Between 1930s-1950s, polish immigrants came into the area in big numbers of groups after the World War 2(Byrne,2008). They came in and established their ethnic groups and offered shops, restaurants, and banks in their group, people spoke their language, it was like a small
The Great Chicago Fore changed construction of buildings forever. It was the fastest growing city in the United States and it had been built with wood. The fire burned two-thirds of the city and wiped out the north side. Approximately 300 people died and millions of dollars worth of property was destroyed. Chicago was reconstructed, but with much more thought of fire resistant homes and
T oday, October 8th 2016 is the 145th anniversary of The Great Chicago Fire. The Great Chicago Fire was a massive fire that lit 4 square miles of the city. A major factor in the Great Chicago Fire was the wood. Almost the entire city was built of wood, and wood is very flammable.
After all of this happened, America went down into the Great Depression. The Great Depression was the longest and the most harsh depression in American History. It lasted from the end of 1929 until 1939. This time era ruined thousands of peoples lives.
The great Chicago was the biggest botheration ever. This has killed 300 souls there is legend Mrs. O’Leary was milking her cow and the cow kicked over and started the great Chicago fire but there is a another theory would you think Mrs. O’Leary did it well don't think she did do it. Mrs. O’Leary was a greedy woman she only cared about money. One day he money was taken away by the government then she wanted revenge on government. Mrs. O’Leary was on welfare and when the government found out that Mrs.O’Leary was selling milk the government put Mrs. O’leary off welfare then Mrs.O’Leary wanted revenge on the government.
The city also didn’t have fire alarms in almost every building, just the ones that could afford it. Even some schools didn’t have a fire alarm. The fire could have been able to be prevented by using other materials. Some buildings that weren't made out of wood, still caught fire.
When we think of the nineteen twenties we often think of some dark, smoke filled speakeasy, where people are gathered around drinking some homemade moonshine and listening to jazz music. The nineteen twenties are often referred to the Roaring Twenties. A much better title for the time might be the Rollercoastering Twenties; like a rollercoaster on the way up to the summit, the time was filled with great excitement, but as the drop of a roller coaster appears the riders do not often see it till they are on their way down. This is exactly what happened at the end of the nineties twenties. The Great Depression seems to come out of no where for the people of the time, but as we know today, the Great Depression was not one big thing that happened out of no where, but a combination of
There was a downward spiral of looting and lawlessness. The city officials actually had to call in soldiers to come and protect the structures and belongings of the businesses and residents. Martial law was eventually declared, ending the 3 days of chaos. It took several weeks for them to feel safe enough to lift the martial law. Once the smoke cleared and the soot settled the city jumped on the opportunity to rebuild.
Chicago had to fight for their right to host the fair as it was competing with many, already great, cities for that spot. Fighting for this right lead the city politics to become corrupt since they were doing everything in their power to gain the opportunity to hold the fair in their city. Introduction: In 1893, the World’s Columbian Exposition
The Triangle Fire The Triangle fire that claimed the lives of 146 people, most of them immigrant women and girls, caused an outcry against unsafe working conditions in factories. Firefighters arrived at the scene, but their ladders could only reach the 6th floor of the ten-story building, while the hose could only reach the 7th floor. Workers were trapped inside because the owners had locked the fire escape exit doors to prevent theft, so workers jumped to their deaths. The government could’ve prevented the Triangle fire earlier if they listened to the workers’ plea for a safety working environment. Union organization tried to address the employees’ working conditions but wasn’t recognized.
McGirr states, “One New Yorker went so far to declare that Prohibition fueled a cultural ‘state of civil war’” (McGirr, 104). Nightlife in New York City was expanding multiculturally, and could also be felt in small cities and towns elsewhere (McGirr, 104). This new world of mixed nightlife still remains in many cities throughout the United States today (McGirr, 104). Multiple racial boundaries were crossed, and African American culture was introduced into some white neighborhoods (McGirr, 110).
Facing this severe amount of loss is not an easy task for the public to face, and many could not bear it all together. Going from having a very decent life to basically fighting tooth and nail to keep your home is a tough concept to fathom for most of America today, but it was the reality. An essay by Robert J. Hastings, “Digging In”, perfectly paints the mindset of his family and most of public in regards to what they had to give up. In this dissertation, Hastings writes about how the state of the economy was and that they gave up whatever possible: “With no dependable income, we cut back on everything possible… turned off city water… sold our Model T Ford…”. Perhaps his feelings toward cutting back are a little softer in retrospect, but picturing what was then lacking in homes completes the perspective on the Great Depression itself.
On October 29, 1929, the U.S. fell into a Great Depression. During this time the economy and stock market had completely failed leading America into an economic ditch. According to Ben Isaacs, “Then I couldn’t pay the rent. I had a little car… I sold it for $15 in order to buy some food for the family.”
Laura Marie Yapelli Professor Rung Final Paper 12/8/2016 Baseball in The Great Depression On October 29th, 1929 the stock market crashed and sent the United States into a severe economic disaster marking the start of the Great Depression. The effects of the crash were extreme and affected the living and working conditions of Americans across the Country. People and families were not the only ones affected by the Great Depression. Many companies and organizations were feeling the effects as well.
This dry climate caused the wooden buildings to become incredibly dry, allowing the fire to spread quickly once it began (Bauer). These factors triggered the formation of convection whirls, walls of fire over one hundred feet high which spun violently like a hurricane. A witness described the
The Great Depression was not only one of the defining moments in American history, but also one of the most difficult hardships Americans faced. During the Great Depression, which was ignited by the stock market crash of 1929, people faced unemployment, poverty, and changes in government the ultimately shaped America today. Many people believe that The Great Depression began when the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929 (“The Great Depression,” American Express). In the mid to late 1920’s the stock market grew majorly, the stock prices skyrocketed gaining interest from all kinds of people.