October 4 - 10, 2021 Vol. 29 No. 39
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Arts & (Home) Entertainment
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SportsWise
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Cover Story: Chicago Fire
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We are replacing our usual calendar with virtual events and recommendations from StreetWise vendors, readers and staff to keep you entertained at home! After Vendor Merv Sims said during the StreetWise last days of summer story that he would lilke to go to a White Sox or Cubs game, Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards thought it might be a good idea for the whole StreetWise team, and reached out on a special section on the White Sox website. The Chicago Fire is the second star on the city's flag and happened 150 years ago October 8-10. Learn about the progress of the Fire, the "fake news" surrounding Mrs. O'Leary and the cow, and inequities that existed in the city similar to today.
Inside StreetWise
The Chicago Fire ended on October 10, which is a very special date for StreetWise Vendor A. Allen.
The Playground ON THE COVER: "Destruction of Chicago by Fire" illustration (courtesy of the Chicago History Museum). THIS PAGE: The Chicago Water Tower remains standing after the Chicago Fire (From the C.R. Clark photograph book, courtesy of the Newberry Library).
Dave Hamilton, Creative Director/Publisher
dhamilton@streetwise.org
StreetWiseChicago @StreetWise_CHI
Suzanne Hanney, Editor-In-Chief
suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com
Amanda Jones, Director of programs
ajones@streetwise.org
Julie Youngquist, Executive director
jyoungquist@streetwise.org
Ph: 773-334-6600 Office: 2009 S. State St., Chicago, IL, 60616
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ARTS & (HOME) ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Since being stuck inside, which shows have you been watching? Which movies? Have you read any good books lately? Any new music releases have you dancing in your living room? StreetWise vendors, readers and staff are sharing what is occupying their attention during this unprecedented time. To be featured in a future edition, send your recommendations of what to do at home and why you love them to Creative Director / Publisher Dave Hamilton at dhamilton@streetwise.org
A Celebration of a Hero!
One Night Only: A Celebration of Román The Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., is celebrating Román Buenrostro’s life on October 5, from 3-6 p.m. Román Buenrostro was an activist for HIV/AIDS and served as co-founder of the Association for Latin Men for Action (ALMA) and the director of the AIDS Foundation Chicago. His activism started in 1989 by volunteering at STOP AIDS Chicago and grew from there. He went on to volunteer at Horizons Community Services and Erie Family Health, which led to Buenrostro being elected as an HIV-positive Community co-chair at Chicago Area HIV Integrated Services Council. Anyone interested in celebrating Román Buenrostro’s life can register for free at eventbrite.com. The Goodman Theatre kindly asks any guests to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status. The family is also kindly asking for any donations to Howard Brown Health Center to try and name a room after Román Buenrostro.
Be Creative!
(HOME) ENTERTAINMENT
Let’s Make Letters! Are you interested in making your own font? Join Kelcey Gray on October 8 from 6-8 p.m., at You Are Beautiful, 3368 N. Elston Ave. Gray is a graphic designer from Texas who enjoys typography and letter making and has a published book called “Let’s Make Letters” that is all about exploring different artistic styles and helping people gain confidence with their graphic design skills. It is a fun way to create new designs and learn new skills. This event will include warm-up skills, learning how to distort letters, and create your own version of the alphabet. If interested please visit eventbrite.com to register for free.
Don't Get Spooked!
1931 ‘Dracula’ Movie Screening The West Chicago Avenue Public Library, 4856 W. Chicago Ave., presents the classic movie “Dracula” (1931) on October 9 from 2-3:30 p.m. Dracula is rated TV-14 and is approximately 75 minutes long. The film is about a real estate agent named Reinfield who travels to Transylvania to arrange a purchase from Count Dracula. From there, Reinfield is bitten and turned into a vampire. This movie is suitable for all ages; however, some scenes depict a vampire biting someone's neck. “Dracula” is a great movie to get into the spirit of Halloween and get inspiration for your costume this year.
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Local Art!
'Source Recursions': an exhibition combining art, dance & architecture Don’t miss out on the last night of "Source Recursions" on October 9, from 6-9 p.m. at The Martin, 2500 W. Chicago Ave. "Source Recursions" is an exhibition that showcases a combination of art, dance, and architecture and aims to convey the deeper meaning of language that shapes our environment. In this hands-on experience, you can explore art throughout the neighborhood and enjoy live performances. The exhibit features works by Michelle Kranicke, Michael Workman, and Dave Sundry. Ticket purchases are on a donation basis, so give however much you can at eventbrite.com.
Comedic Opera!
‘The Elixir of Love’ No operatic hero is more endearing than Nemorino, who pines for the flirtatious Adina. She’s the owner of the town’s hotel; he’s her delightfully naive waiter. His only hope to win her is the “elixir” sold by the quack, Dr. Dulcamara — little does he know that it’s just Bordeaux wine! From start to finish we root for Nemorino, as Adina toys with him until she finally lets him know how she really feels. "Elixir" is opera’s most heartwarming comedy, filled with Donizetti’s delectable music that brings nonstop smiles. Sung in Italian with projected English texts. This production is a Chicago debut at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive. Show times are October 5 & October 8 at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $39 at lyricopera.org.
Craft & Beer!
Origami Fold and Sip The Japanese Cultural Center is hosting an Origami Fold and Sip at Konbini and Kanpai, 1433 W. Belmont Ave., on October 7, from 6-8 p.m. At this free event, you will learn about origami, the Japanese art of folding paper into different shapes, and enjoy a free beer tasting! This event is open to all ages, but you must be 21 or older to partake in the beer tasting. There will be non-alcoholic beverages available, too. Ty Yamamoto, a photographer, filmmaker, and origami enthusiast, will be teaching the session. Ty has been an origami lover since a young child and started teaching online classes this past year. For more information and to register, please visit eventbrite.com.
Party On & Give Back!
8th Annual Purple Tie Affair: Concert & Silent Auction E3 Radio is hosting its 8th Annual Purple Tie Affair on October 7 from 7-11 p.m. at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted St. Anna DeShawn is the CEO and founder of E3 Radio, who decided to celebrate her 30th birthday by creating a fundraiser for some of her favorite non-profit organizations. The Purple Tie Affair will showcase local musicians, drag queens, and silent auction items. This year’s proceeds will go to Sisters in Cinema, a non-profit organization that helps educate and support young Black women and girls to become media makers. General Admission tickets cost $35, and VIP tickets cost $45. Tickets can be purchased at e3radio.fm/the-purple-tie-affair/.
Genre Melding!
‘The 120 Project’ - an exploration in Jazz and House music “The 120 Project” is a free concert that reflects on social issues through jazz and house music, playing on October 7, from 4-7 p.m., at the Black Wall Street Journey Pop-Up Gallery by Dorian Sylvain, 314 E. 51st St. Musicians include Corey Wilkes and Vick Lavender. Wilkes is a world-renowned jazz musician who is known for composing and producing music. Lavender is the CEO of Sophisticado Recordings, which fuzes a blend of jazz and funk with deep, soulful house and a splash of Caribbian rhythms. This event will showcase jazz, house, and a collaboration with other musicians. To register for this event, visit eventbrite.com.
Buy Local!
Back on the Block: L1 Grand Opening & Arts + Public Life 10th Anniversary Arts+Public Life (APL) invites you to join them on October 9 from 1-5 p.m. to celebrate the grand opening of L1 Art’s Retail Store and its 10th anniversary. Arts+Public Life is a community for artists in South Side Chicago that centers on helping people of color channel their inner creativity and lets them showcase their artistic talents. APL also provides residency for artists of color, teaches youth art classes, and showcases artists-led exhibitions. APL is helping launch L1, a creative business and retail shop, located at 319 E. Garfield Blvd., under the Green Line, inside the first “L” station. L1 will showcase small businesses owners' products such as Hemp Heals Body Shop, ReformedSchool, Solo Noir for Men, and Zen Soul Apothecary. There will be live music, store specials, and free giveaways. To register for free, visit eventbrite.com. -Compiled by Paige Bialik
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Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards recalls a StreetWise field trip to Guaranteed Rate Field.
StreetWise Vendor Merv Sims, Editor Suzanne Hanney, Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards, and Vendor Dean Smith (background) attend Guaranteed Rate Field on September 16. Sims won the Los White Sox T-shirt he is wearing by being one of the first 10,000 fans at the park (Julie Youngquist photo).
Before we get to the awesome, fun time we had at the White Sox game on Thursday, September 16—even though a loss!—I want to acknowledge the inspiration for the trip, as well as the means to make it happen. Browsing through a past StreetWise edition, I read a small piece by one of our longtime vendors, VIP Merv Sims (#1839), which noted that he had not been to a live Chicago White Sox game since he was a height in which he doesn’t remember anything about the outing except that he went to a game.
ceiving a Harold Baines bat, or a set of baseball cards— awesome, awesome memories. Well, when I found out Merv hadn’t been in that long, a mission was evoked: I reached out online to the White Sox and discovered a program called DonateX (request@donationx.org), expressed my case, and within 1 hour, StreetWise was granted a bunch of tickets—including handicapped-accessible seats!
SPORTSWISE
Thank you, White Sox! That hit me like a brick. When I was younger, I went to MANY White Sox games. Partially because I lived very close to the ballpark, but a lot, also, because my father and one of my friend's father took us to the games on a regular basis (Harold Baines, Greg Luzinski, Rudy and Vance Law, wow…). I remember the games (all victories is how I remember the outings)! I recall being one of the first 10,000 fans and re-
Now, that said, on to the game. We weren’t able to completely fill up our section, but we did a pretty good job and had sun and, most importantly, fun! We had a very nice range: from the vendors to StreetWise staff to a YWCA Chicago leader. We ate, we laughed, we took photos before, during, and after the game—in the stands and outside.
Unfortunately, the White Sox lost 9-3; however, it was okay as the Sox were, pretty much, a lock for the playoffs (while this issue was in production, the White Sox did make the playoffs)! The game started out not so good with the Los Angeles Angels beginning the scoring with a home run in the second inning; before we knew it, by the end of the fifth inning, the White Sox were down 9-0! The Sox did put up three runs over the next two innings and even threatened to score more, but the big lead was not to be overcome on this day. However, we did get other excitement: two fans ran out onto the field! No less than five security guards tackled each of them in the middle of the diamond. We, of course, booed and cheered along with the crowd, and though one sort of wished it wouldn’t happen (it's dangerous and, sometimes, I’m guessing, scary for
the players), it is fun to witness live. I must give an aside to the eats we enjoyed at the game. Nachos, brats, polish sausages, pizza, french fries— once, I looked from my lap to the others and my knees went weak at the sight of all that unhealthy stuff! Luckily, we’re pretty well-treated by our new donating restaurant at StreetWise (via a third party)—C’est Si Bon! Ltd. (cestsiboncatering.com) —who provides us with balanced meals four days a week. So, yes, we cheated…but we recovered the following day with veggies! Thank you, Renee Bradford! Thank you, White Sox, and Thank you, Mr. Sims, for reminding us what’s important: memories. We now have September 16, 2021, filed away. Any comments or suggestions? Email pedwards@streetwise.org
THE ART OF PIZZA ON STATE STREET by Rivka Benjamin
Steven Riggs has been a vendor with StreetWise for over 10 years now. As a big fan of cheese ‘n’ sausage pizza, Steven often eats at the ‘Art of Pizza’ pizza shop. It's near his location on State Street. Steven first thought when trying their pizza was “Oh My G-d”. He was shocked at how tasty the pizza was, especially for the price. During all of his visits he has tried the cheese slice, pepperoni slice, and of course, the cheese 'n' sausage slice. Although there is more variety on their menu, Steven likes to stick to the pizza when stopping in for lunch. His mom, however, tried the sub sandwich when they went together. She really liked it, and even saved the leftovers for dinner.
Steven Riggs
What really impressed him was the kindness of the people there, the cashier and the owners. Steven always notices Danny and the other owners offer ice water to people who are homeless on hot days, and sometimes a slice of pizza. THE ART OF PIZZA ON STATE STREET Steven recalls one very hot and humid summer day recently. He was working really hard, sellLocation: ing as many magazines as he could at his loca727 S. State St. tion. He stopped into the pizza store to catch his breath since he was feeling faint. Danny, Price Range: whom Steven calls "one of the nicest guys," Under $10 / per person asked if he was okay and offered some water. “Ice water and a slice of pizza would be nice,” Hours: Steven responded. Danny didn’t flinch, and Sunday - Thursday brought him what he asked for, like a regular 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. customer. He was warm, inviting, and friendly. Steven said he felt quite humbled in that moFriday & Saturday ment, and began to tear up. 11 a.m. - midnight In general, he said the atmosphere is extremely clean, friendly and inviting. There are always conversations going on between multiple tables, no matter how far they are from each other. The customers speak about current events, how tasty the pizza is, and Steven often speaks about StreetWise. Sometimes, people will buy magazines form him on the spot when they hear about it (although that isn’t his goal). “Overall, it was GREAT!! I would highly recommend this place for the food, people, and atmosphere. If you’re ever in Chicago, stop by. Trust me, it’ll be a memorable experience. If you’re out of town, you will be back for this!” The Art of Pizza on State Street: Steven Riggs with employee; interior; a slice of stuffed crust.
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150th ANNIVERSARY
GREAT CHICAGO by Suzanne Hanney
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Catherine O’Leary went to bed between 8 and 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8, 1871, she remembered hearing fiddle music from a neighbor’s party. About an hour later, her husband Patrick woke her to say their barn was on fire. s
Daniel Sullivan had been the first to report it. Sullivan, known as “Peg Leg” for his wooden limb, was the O’Leary’s neighbor across DeKoven Street. He had left the party early, had seen the fire, had gone inside to try to save some of the O’Leary cows, and had told Patrick. During a nine-day Board of Police and Fire Commissioners inquiry into the Great Chicago Fire that began 150 years ago this week on the O’Leary property, however, Catherine recalled that a neighbor had told her about a man milking cows in her barn just before the fire started, Karen Abbott wrote in “What or Who Caused the Great Chicago Fire?” for Smithsonian Magazine.
industrial district filled with lumberyards, wooden warehouses and coal heaps. As warm air rose, it picked up fuel that became burning embers, or “firebrands,” that started new fires wherever they landed. “It seemed as if the ground itself had ignited, which in fact it may well have, considering the streets, sidewalks and bridges were made of wood,” according to the Fire Department account. The Fire jumped the South Branch of the Chicago River at midnight and shortly afterward consumed the tar works south of Adams Street, according to “History of the Great Chicago Fire: October 8, 9 and 10, 1871,” by James Goodsell (J.H & C.M.
But Mrs. O’Leary literally “took the heat,” after neighborhood children said she had been milking a cow that kicked over a lantern. A local newspaper repeated the story in an early example of “fake news.” The fire inquiry, however, was inconclusive: “Whether it originated from a spark blown by a chimney on that windy night, or was set on fire by human agency, we are unable to determine.” All that is known for certain is that the Great Fire started at about 9:45 p.m. on the O’Leary property, at what is now the site of the Chicago Fire Academy, 558 W. DeKoven St. When it was over on October 10, the “Burnt District” was three-quarters of a mile wide and four miles long, extending to the city limits at Fullerton. Across 2,000 acres, 17,500 buildings were destroyed, 1 in 3 of the city’s 300,000 residents became homeless and 300 were dead. Damage was estimated at $200 million in 1871 dollars, one-third the city’s total valuation. From July to October 1871, Chicago had been in a drought, with only one-quarter the usual amount of rain. In the week before the Fire, there had been 20 fires in a city built largely of wood. The night before, a large fire had left firemen exhausted and equipment depleted, according to the Chicago Fire Department website. Driven by a 20-m.p.h. wind from the southwest, the Great Fire swept north and east of the O’Leary barn, toward an
Goodsell, 1871). ”Faster than a man could walk, the flames leaped from house to house” until they reached Wells Street. The whole area in between was known as Conley’s Patch, an Irish shantytown filled with small wooden structures; it was destroyed in just a few minutes, accounting for most of the Fire’s victims, according to Karen Sawislak in Alt-J “Smoldering City: Chicagoans and the Great Fire, 1871-74” (University of Chicago Press, 1996).
ERSARY
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O FIRE
The devastation from the Chicago Fire of 1871. Clockwise from Top: The view from the Courthouse steps looking north on Clark St; looking east on Washington St. from LaSalle; looking south from the Courthouse; looking west on Washington St. from Wabash Ave. (All images from the C.R. Clark photograph book, courtesy of the Newberry Library.) Right: A map shows the spread of the Fire by time and date (by Michael P. Conzen, Christopher P. Thale assisting, courtesy of the Newberry Library).
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Next, the fire consumed especially volatile fuel at the South Division municipal gas works at Monroe and Wacker, adjacent to the tar works. There was an explosion, and the city’s streetlamps flickered and died. As the Fire reached the central business district, it began to display what firefighters call a “convection effect:” rising warm air that mixed with cooler air to propel the Fire on its own, Sawislak wrote. The city’s official weatherman, Thomas Mosher Jr., told how “wind at ground level blew toward the center of the fire from all directions,” creating a counterclockwise column of flame and smoke – a firestorm. James S. Osgood, chief usher of the Crosby Opera House and art gallery on the south side of Washington Street between State and Dearborn, arrived there shortly after the gas works explosion. The opera house had been closed for $80,000 worth of renovations and was scheduled to open the next day. “There was no fire in the neighborhood of the opera house at that time, although the sparks were dangerously thick,” he said a decade later during a civil case in federal court. Osgood, opera house owner Albert Crosby and another man worked to save the gallery’s collection of Hudson River paintings, a landscape genre popular in the mid-19th century. Large paintings were taken out of their frames and lowered by ropes to the street, smaller ones carried downstairs individually. After finding a wagon and horses, they took the paintings to 226 S. Wabash and then farther south. Just before 1:30 a.m., they walked a block west to Clark Street to see the Fire. The Courthouse, on the site of today’s City Hall/County Building between Washington and Randolph, Clark and LaSalle streets, was thought to be fireproof. They watched a flying brand hit the Courthouse cupola. The Fire moved down Washington Street to Dearborn and consumed the Crosby Opera House soon afterward, taking with it “three piano houses and a number of art treasures, including paintings by some of the leading art masters of the old and new worlds,” according to Goodsell. A wing of the Fire moved north along LaSalle, Wells and Franklin toward the main branch of the Chicago River, wiping out grain elevators, banks and three large hotels, as well as the retail structures on both Lake and Randolph streets: hide and leather houses, hardware and farm implement dealers and toy shops. Another branch of the Fire moved south along State Street, destroying Field and Leiter’s store at Washington Street (the
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site of the present Macy’s). At State and Madison streets, the St. James Hotel burned down, along with Booksellers Row, on the east side of the street (site of the present-day Target). Open just 13 days, the eight-story Palmer House at Monroe and State also burned. Ultimately, the entire business district was obliterated, except for an unfinished building at Monroe and LaSalle streets and the Lind block immediately north of the Randolph Bridge at Wacker. Meanwhile, a firebrand had jumped the main branch of the Chicago River and continued north, confounding smug North Siders, who went to sleep thinking the river would save them. At 3:30 a.m. Monday morning, another firebrand landed on the wooden roof of the city’s only water pumping station at Chicago avenue and Pine street. The exposed machinery was rendered useless, which ruined remaining firefighting efforts. The main stem of the Fire crossed the main branch of the Chicago River onto the North Side around 5:40 a.m. Monday and continued moving north between State and Rush streets. Between Kinzie and Illinois streets, east of the Chicago River’s North Branch, nearly everything burned, including the McCormick Reaper Factory, east of Rush Street. Rich and poor alike met on the Sands, east of State Street and north of the river; or on the lakefront beaches. Some plunged into the water up to their heads, but their hair was nevertheless singed off – if they came up for air at all. West of LaSalle Street, the densely populated (two and three families in a building) German and Scandinavian neighborhood south of Chicago Avenue burned, along with the Irish one from Chicago to North avenues. So did Old Settlers’ mansions east of Clark Street – except for that of Mahlon Ogden, brother of the city’s first mayor. By noon Monday, the Fire reached North Avenue, home to German truck farmers and semi-skilled labor such as shoemakers, brewers and wood joiners. Only the walls of St. Michael’s Church at what is now Eugenie and Cleveland hrough the lames remained standing. Policeman Richard and eyond Bellinger saved his ommemorating the home at 2121 N. th nniversary Hudson by tearing of the up the wooden sidewalk and fence that reat hicago ire surrounded it, then wetting it down with On Friday, October 8, from 6:30water – and cider. 7:30 p.m., the Newberry Library, 60 The Fire continued to E. Walton St., will host a free pubthe northern city limlic event on its front steps to comits at Fullerton, where memorate the 150th anniversary of there was nothing the Great Chicago Fire. The familyleft to burn. An early friendly program will have a 19thmorning rain Tuescentury-style magic lantern show of day extinguished it. animation accompanied by narration, music, and period costumes.
Top: The Crosby Opera House, before the Chicao Fire, circa 1860. Center: A makeshift coffee house is set up amidst the rubble from the Chicago Fire. (Both images from the C.R. Clark photograph book, courtesy of the Newberry Library.)
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The Chicago Fire brings Social Inequities to light by Suzanne Hanney
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hicago’s business com -
began rebuilding immediately after the Great Fire of 1871, but 100,000 people were left homeless, and recovery exposed deep inequities in the city, similar to those of today. munity
Although the Fire destroyed nearly all buildings in the downtown business district, Chicago still retained infrastructure such as the new, South Side stockyards that processed more meat than anywhere else on Earth; many of the wharves, lumberyards and mills along the Chicago River; 2 out of 3 grain elevators; railroad tracks that linked the city with both coasts; and most of all, its position as a trading and financial center.
After roaring out of Mrs. O’Leary’s barn and consuming everything in its path, the Great Chicago Fire surged toward the home of Mahlon D. Ogden, brother of Chicago’s first mayor. Ogden’s home stood on the site of what is now the Newberry. Made of wood, it seemed destined for oblivion. Yet against all odds, the home emerged relatively unscathed after the greatest disaster in the history of Chicago. How did this happen? And what can we learn from those who survived the Chicago Fire as we confront catastrophic events today?
The event is produced in partnership with the Hideout, with magic lantern slides by Kathleen Judge and music directed by Jeffery Thomas. The outdoor, in-person event will take place on Walton Street in front of the Newberry. Seating will be placed to accommodate social distancing and available first come, first served. You are welcome to bring your own chairs, but no food and beverages. In accordance with City of Chicago guidelines, masking remains encouraged. In the event of rain, the event will move indoors, where masking is required.
New architectural styles were later developed as the downtown was rebuilt according to new building codes that required fireproof materials such as brick, limestone or marble. But these materials were unaffordable to the immigrant community, most of whom had lived in wooden buildings, so they were ultimately forced to relocate away from the city center. Irish residents moved closer to the stockyards, Swedish to Andersonville, which was still farmland, and elsewhere. There was also resentment against the immigrant Irish O’Leary family, in whose barn the Fire started 150 years ago October 8. From what is now roughly Roosevelt Road and Halsted Street, the Fire spread north and east to what was then the city limits at Fullerton. Before it died out early October 10, it destroyed over 17,500 buildings and killed 300 people. "The Cause of the Great Chicago Fire Oct. 9th, 1871" propaganda artwork that places the blame for the Chicago Fire on Catherine O'Leary (courtesy of the Chicago History Muesum).
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A nine-day Police and Fire Department inquiry into the cause of the Fire was inconclusive as to whether it was caused by a spark from a chimney or set by a human. Mrs. O’Leary testified that she had been asleep when it started, but that she had been told by a neighbor that someone had been in her barn milking the cows. She was also exonerated by the Chicago City Council in 1997. “Fake news” or not, the urban legend that has persisted was that Mrs. O’Leary had been in her barn milking a cow when it kicked over a lantern that started the Fire. The story played on ethnic stereotypes and “nativist fears about the city’s growing immigrant population,” Karen Abbott wrote in “What (or Who) Caused the Great Chicago Fire” for Smithsonian Magazine. The Chicago Times called the 44-year-old Catherine O’Leary “an old Irish woman…an old hag” who deliberately set the Fire in revenge against the city for denying her a bit of bacon or wood. Holy Family Church, 1080 W. Roosevelt Road, was the O’Leary family church and it withstood the Fire, it is said, after its pastor, Father Arnold Damen, S.J., prayed all night on his knees to the Virgin Mary. Father Damen promised to keep seven lights burning in her honor if the church was
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spared – and the lights are still on today. He offered Holy Family Church, its schools and college to the City for refugees of the Fire, but the Chicago Relief and Aid Society chose instead to locate with other city offices at the smaller First Congregational Church across from Union Park. “Considering the anti-Irish and anti-Catholic sentiment that still existed in Chicago, it would have been a leap of faith for the city’s Protestant elite to consider [Damen’s] offer,” Ellen Skerrett wrote in “Setting the Record Straight” for St. Ignatius College Prep. “It was a missed opportunity on many levels.” The Chicago Relief and Aid Society was entirely privately funded and its officials decided who was “worthy,” unlike federal government disaster relief today, Skerrett noted. However, the Jesuits at Holy Family distributed food and supplies to thousands “without distinction of race or creed.” Orphans were received in the college and the basement was used as a distribution center for provisions and clothing. Nearby, at the affiliated convent of the Religious of the Sacred Heart, fire victims rang the doorbell all day in search of aid. “Those in authority were almost all Protestants,” who re-
People fleeing over the Randolph Street bridge to the West Side. The large building in the foreground, the Lind Block, actually survived (courtesy of the Chicago History Museum).
the other hand, “live in fear of their lives, with their house watched day & night by policemen,” she wrote.
fused to aid poor neighbors on the West Side, one of the sisters reported to their Paris headquarters. The Maxwell Street school and convent run by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (B.V.M) was another source of help. Sr. Agatha Hurley, B.V.M., was so well loved that residents from Dubuque, IA, (where their motherhouse was located), sent $130 and barrels of flour and clothing. The Chicago Relief and Aid Society built four small communities of barracks for homeless poor people: on Madison Street, on Harrison Street, on Clybourn Avenue and in Washington Park, across Walton Street from the mansion of Mahlon Ogden, which survived the Fire. The barracks accommodated 1,000 families, with each allotted two furnished rooms, according to greatchicagofire. org, a website maintained by the Chicago History Museum and Northwestern University. The Society patronizingly noted in its 1874 report that since the occupants had not lived in their own homes before, but in tenements, they were probably almost as comfortable as before. And, since the houses were less crowded and supervised by health officials and police, “their moral and sanitary condition was unquestionably better than that which had heretofore been obtained in that class.” A neighbor of the Ogdens, who was also homeless because of the Fire, hired one of the Washington Park barracks residents for a day’s labor. She later wrote that he joked with her about his few, but “‘very select neighbors.’” The Ogdens, on
The relief society also built over 5,200 cottages for skilled workers: 12-feet by 16-feet for families of three, 20 by 16 for bigger families. The North Side had 75,000 of the 100,000 homeless: Americanborn who came to Chicago in the 1830s and 40s east of Clark Street, immigrants west of LaSalle. Coming from oppression, Irish comprised 50 percent of those on public assistance in 1870, but 13.4 percent of the population. Germans were 20 percent of those on assistance, but 17 percent of the city’s inhabitants. Over half the Irish held unskilled jobs, one-third the German. Given the loss of their homes and often their jobs, immigrants found the new fire codes requiring the use of more expensive brick or stone a barrier to rebuilding. In addition, as Karen Sawislak noted in ”Smoldering City: Chicagoans and the Great Fire, 1871-74” (University of Chicago Press, 1996), immigrants regarded the building codes as restrictions imposed by nativists to prevent them from reviving their ethnic enclaves. They even violently disrupted a January 1872 Chicago City Council meeting. The next month, the City Council passed a watered-down fire protection ordinance that led to the concept of the “Gold Coast and the Slum,” according to Lawrence J. Vale in “Purging the Poorest: Public Housing and the Design Politics of Twice-Cleared Communities,” (University of Chicago Press, 2013) excerpted for Chicago History magazine in fall 2014. Better, fireproof materials were required east of Clark Street, but cheaper construction was allowed west of Clark Street. Because much of this land east of the Chicago River and north of Chicago Avenue was empty, relief cottages were built there. By 1873, police had nicknamed the neighborhood “Little Hell,” because of the regular knifings and disturbances. Occupied by Irish, Swedes, Germans, Dutch, Poles, Italians and a few American-born at the time, the neighborhood changed names as it changed ethnicities. It would later be known as Little Sicily – and then Cabrini Green.
The Mahlon D. Ogden residence, which survived the Chicago Fire (from the C.R. Clark photograph book, courtesy of the Newberry Library).
'City on Fire': Chicago 1871 The devastating grief and subsequent growth sparked by the destruction of the Chicago Fire is the subject of “City on Fire: Chicago 1871,” opening at the Chicago History Museum on Friday, October 8 -which is 150 years to the day since the Fire began. “The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was a pivotal event in the city’s history, setting it on a path of unmatched resilience and constant evolution that still defines Chicago today,” said Julius L. Jones, lead curator for the exhibition. “We are honored to tell this important Chicago story in a way that helps visitors draw parallels to the present day.” Designed to be family-friendly, the exhibit will immerse visitors in the destruction of the Fire and the decisions people made as they fled danger. The exhibit features more than 100 pieces from the museum’s collection, interactive media and personal stories from the O’Leary and Hudlin families and other survivors. A largescale reproduction of a cyclorama painting depicting the breadth of the fire’s path across the city is the pinnacle of the exhibition. The original was a main attraction during the 1893 World’s Fair, standing nearly 50 feet high and 400 feet long, in its own building on Michigan Avenue. “While the devastation of the Great Chicago Fire was felt by all in the city, the rebuilding efforts exposed inequities,” said Donald Lassere, president and CEO of the Chicago History Museum. “We are honored to facilitate this important discussion and welcome visitors to learn more about this monumental event in our city’s history.” More information is available at www.chicago1871.org
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October 10 means more than the end of the Chicago Fire to vendor A. Allen The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 is very signifiicant to me personally because of the dates. The Fire lasted about two days, from October 8 to 10. The 10th is also my sobriety date, or the date that I had my last bit of alcohol and drugs, which included cocaine and heroin. So I relate to the ending of the Fire on the 10th of October because it was the day my personal fire was put out. Speaking of "pants on fire," like a liar, I truly was at that time "burnt up from the floor up," as we say on the streets. Not only did the Great Fire put a star on our city's flag, it put a star on my heart. Oct. 10, 2009 will always be cherished and celebrated by me because it was the day I was, so to speak, reborn. My eyes were opened to a new way of life, so much so that I celebrated my second year of being sober by actually running the 2011 Chicago Marathon, which fell on Oct. 9, 2011.
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Yes, I remember it well. It was hard, but I did finish it. Since then, I have run two more marathons and I am proud to say I finished them both. Not best in time, but I did finish them in celebration of my sobriety date, October 10. This year, I will be on the sidelines cheering on the runners in the 2021 Marathon, Sunday October 10. Not only that, but I came to StreetWise in hopes that I can work and stay sober. Today, I am thankful for rain putting out the Chicago Fire on October 10, grateful for my sobriety date October 10 and grateful for the Chicago Marathon on October 10. Thanks to all my 12-step friends, to StreetWise and to all you wonderful customers who buy magazines each and every week from not only from me, but from all the vendors associated with StreetWise.
1 9/19/16 to 9.
Sudoku
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Streetwise 9/19/16 Crossword To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the Sudoku numbers 1 to 9.
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53 Atomizer output 57 Turkish dough 58 ___ so often 60 Shevat follower 61 Stick-toitiveness 62 Stair part 63 “A Doll’s House” wife 64 Commotions 65 Petticoat junction 66 Meager
4 “All in the Family” 31 Flirtatious sort nickname 32 Razz 5 Blender button 34 Crosswise, on 6 Elevator inventor deck 7 Calendar abbr. 38 Wiener 8 Medium schnitzel meat 9 Embankments 39 Footstools 10 Wistful word 41 Furnace parts 11 Money maker 44 Depth charge 12 Bridge call targets 14 Chasm 45 Make lace 22 In the know 46 Nymph chaser 24 Savvy about 48 Sheik’s bevy 25 Capital of East 49 Pond organism Flanders 50 Wren or hen 26 Capital on the 51 Vivacity Bight of Benin Down 52 Arizona city 27 Sand bar 54 Object of 1 Under the 28 Tubular pasta worship covers 29 Fresh from the 55 Rani’s wear 2 Bunuel shower 56 Airport collaborator 30 ©2021 Port-au-Prince’s conveyance Copyright PuzzleJunction.com land 3 Qualified 59 Compete
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lastSudoku week's Puzzle Answers Solution
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Sudoku Solution
PuzzleJu
Crossword Across 1 Gush forth 5 Wharton grad 8 Burn with hot water 13 Come from behind 14 Neighbor of Mo. 15 Bud Grace comic strip 16 Bowie’s last stand 17 Fruitcake item 18 Bob’s companion 19 Henpeck 20 ___-Hill publishing 23 Part of a rose 24 Sound 26 Last ___ 28 Stands for 29 “Monty Python” airer 30 Flock member 33 Expression of disgust 34 Watchdog 36 Glance over 39 Coquettish 40 Sail support 41 Graz resident 44 Mortar porter 46 Network inits. 47 Pop-ups, e.g. 48 Neptune’s realm 51 Lacking vitality 54 Boot camp boss 55 Misplace 57 More ventilated 59 Galley need
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61 Tobacco kilns 63 Director Howard 64 Habituate 66 Young hog 67 Quirky 68 Illustrious 69 Bad-tempered 70 Prefix with classical 71 Insipid Down 1 Muslim salute 2 Infestation 3 Glade shade 4 Casper is there 5 Like some vases 6 Squib 7 Acolyte 8 Put in stitches
9 High point 10 Curse 11 Not prerecorded 12 Consider 13 Jogged 21 Blackjack 22 Emily of “Our Town” 25 Intimidate 27 Big heart? 31 Kind of cabinet 32 Bankrupt 34 An Everly brother 35 Golf’s ___ Cup 36 Baglike structure 37 Pack animal 38 Tax man 39 Like some stomachs
42 Battle of Britain grp. 43 Concept 44 Gardener’s need 45 Egg-shaped instrument 49 Rabbitlike rodent 50 Closed in on 52 Kind of position 53 Lose ground? 55 Red ink amount 56 Home to Honolulu 58 Prefix with China 60 Checkers color 62 Piggery 65 Negative joiner
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Orientation Participants complete a monthlong orientation, focusing on customer service skills, financial literacy and time management to become a badged vendor.
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