Links to History: 66 and Early Chicago--The Waterway Years

Here it is--the first article written by me and published in a periodical. This truncated version of my original much-longer draft retains the "bookend" of the return of the Route 66 shield to Grant Park on January 17, 2002 and discusses the transportation mode that literally put Chicago on the map--the waterways. My re-read of this piece reveals some stilted construction but no obvious factual errors. This was originally published in the Summer 2002 issue of the Federation News (Volume 8, Number 3). Click Here to view the .pdf file.

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Links of History: 66 and Chicago Railroads

The second article in the Links of History series discusses the parallels between Chicago's railroad history and the growth of the Mother Road. This was originally published in the Autumn 2002 issue of the Federation News (Volume 8, Number 4). Click Here to view the .pdf file.

In my re-read while posting this up, I noted that in paragraph 2 I referred to the Railway Exchange Building as a "gothic skyscraper." This is an error--the Railway Exchange is a Chicago School building with some neo-classical detailing, especially on the interior--but it is definitely NOT Gothic!

In the caption for the photo of the Chicago Board of Trade building, I stated that it is located "on the site of the original Board of Trade building of 1885-1932." This is inaccurate. The current Board of Trade Building is the fourth home of the Board. The previous structure on the same location was demolished in 1929 to make way for the current building, which was completed in 1932. The first two homes of the Board were on other sites in downtown Chicago.

Otherwise, the article remains an accurate look at the links between railways and highways.

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Links of History: Chicago's Roads Before 66

The third article in the Links of History series discusses road building in the Chicagoland area before Route 66 was commissioned. This was originally published in the Winter 2003 issue of the Federation News (Volume 9, Number 1). Click Here to view the .pdf file.

Looking over this article now, after I have five more years of research under my belt, I now have a better handle on the historical facts. The article is accurate, but some of my speculation within it has now been resolved. I write in the article on page 6 (page 18 of the Fed News), "Why SBI 4 started in Cicero in 1918 on the outskirts of Chicago rather than through the urban center is not clear." I now know that the Division of Highways had no jurisdiction to build roads inside of municipalities larger than 2,500 population at that time, and did not get approval to post signs to aid the traveler within Chicago until 1924.

This article was also written before I had definitive proof of the original 1926-1928 alignment of Route 66 through Lyons, Illinois on Ogden and Lawndale Avenues. Looking at it now, I am amused at my careful way of hinting at this alignment without outrightly declaring it.

Five years later (as of this writing in March 2008), this article seems to me to be the best of the three created out of my first too-long piece for David Knudson.

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Links of History: 66 and the Urban Expressway

My next article for the Federation News continued the Links of History series with a discussion of the roads that would replace the surface highways for through traffic. This was originally published in the Spring 2003 issue of the Federation News (Volume 9, Number 2). Click Here to view the .pdf file.

On re-reading this article, I find that most of its information stands as accurate. I have returned to this theme several times since 2003. The final chapter of my book Images of America: Route 66 in Chicago uses much of this same information and also much of the exact wording of this article.

There is one paragraph on page 16 (second page of the article) that is somewhat misleading. I wrote of Lake Shore Drive's S-curve, "where motorists had to make two ninety-degree turns," that its existence was "physical proof that the north and south sections of the Drive were not originally planned to meet." The real reason for the S-curve was that a property owner north of the Chicago River who was politically connected objected to the original plan that would have routed Lake Shore Drive directly through the middle of his property. If this plan had been followed, there would have been no need for the S-curve's two ninety degree turns. Proving the old adage that "it is not what you know but who you know," the Lincoln Park District decided not to pursue eminent domain against the property owner.

Otherwise, this article sums up much of my thinking about the mistakes made as the U.S. transitioned from railroad and early automobile transportation to our current reliance on Interstate highways.

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Synchronicity on 66

This article was originally published in the Summer 2003 issue of the Federation News (Volume 9, Number 3). Click Here to view the .pdf file. This is the first article to overtly discuss my research on the original alignment of Route 66 through Lyons, Illinois. Much of this material would be incorporated into my chapters on Ogden Avenue in my book, Exploring Route 66 in Chicagoland.

The title of the article refers to some uncanny coincidences that seem to link me and the location of my home on Route 66 in Chicago to the Lyons alignment that my research would uncover. Relating this story in an understandable way stretched my writing skills at the time. Reading this now after five years, it seems that the result is less than fully successful. A few technical issues get in the way, including a misspelling in the title of the article and an unfortunate crop of the Messinger Saloon photo that eliminated the 833 W. Jackson building from the view. The presence of this building in the background was the clue to the location of the saloon; the photo as cropped leaves out this important detail and lessens the impact of the image. It is especially troubling since this detail is mentioned in the caption, but it is nonexistent in the picture.

A version of this material will likely be included in my next book, now in the planning stages. I have come across additional connections between the Hofmann family and the corridor that would become Route 66. Stay tuned!

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Driving US 66 in Chicagoland: Jackson Boulevard (Part One)

This article was originally published in the Autumn 2003 issue of the Federation News (Volume 9, Number 4). Click Here to view the .pdf file. I have a fondness for this article, partially because it is the first time one of my photographs appeared on the cover of the Federation News. The cover shot shows a Victorian-era Second Empire duplex that stands at the northwest corner of Jackson Boulevard (Route 66) and Laflin Street in the Jackson Boulevard Historic District.

As I started to write this article, I thought I would create a three-part series that would guide travelers on 66 within Chicago. The plan was that each article would cover one of the three thoroughfares on which 66 ran within Chicago and the near suburbs: Jackson Boulevard, Adams Street, and Ogden Avenue. As I began writing I realized that the amount of information I wanted to use would make the series considerably longer. Thus, this article covers the drive down Jackson Boulevard from its intersection with Ogden Avenue to Halsted Street--a distance of about one mile. The rest of the Jackson 66 alignment was covered in the next article.

Much of the information in this article made its way into my book, Exploring Route 66 in Chicagoland. Like any attempt to chronicle the sights at the side of a road, this article mentions many things that have changed or are gone. The Haymarket Square policeman statue that once stood inside the Chicago Police Training Academy has been relocated to the new central Police Headquarters on Chicago's south side. Racine Cafe has closed and has been replaced by a sports bar named Union Park. The Fannie May Candy factory and store has been demolished for new retail development.

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Driving US 66 in Chicagoland: Jackson Boulevard (Part Two)

This article was originally published in the Winter 2004 issue of the Federation News (Volume 10, Number 1). Click Here to view the .pdf file. Continuing from the previous issue, this article guides us on a drive down Jackson Boulevard from Halsted Street to Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.

Reading through the article in early 2009, I find that it remains largely accurate. On page 22, concerning the former Rothschild's stores located at the southwest and southeast corners of Jackson and State, I wrote "the building that is now home to a Walgreen's Drug Store was the 1910 Rothschild Men's Store. The main Rothschild Department Store was located across State Street, also on the right." I have since found out that the two stores shared the Rothschild name but were otherwise unrelated. Walgreen's is on the ground floor of the former Maurice L. Rothchild store. The building now known as the DePaul Center was the department store of A. M. Rothchild. The founders of the stores were unrelated.

When I wrote the article, the building at the southwest corner of Jackson and Michigan was still the Britannica Center. It is now a residential condominium building called the Metropolitan Tower.

In all other respects, this tour down the last mile of eastbound Route 66 remains accurate. Enjoy the journey!

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