Chicago History Podcast
@chicagohistorypod.bsky.social
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Stories about the Greatest City in the World. Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
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George “Red” Barker was gunned down in 1932 near North and Pulaski. His gravesite at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside was later dug up by thieves expecting to find valuables in his casket, resulting in a shootout with cemetery staff.

Ep. 815 - Chicago's Ghoulish Past
bit.ly/47gswWZ
Not trying to hide it, not even a little bit.
Sheesh, man. Move on already. You "won" in 2024. Now, about those Epstein files.
The plot to steal Abraham Lincoln's body 11 yrs after his death was hatched by Chicago counterfeiters looking for ransom money and to free a friend who was serving time at Joliet.

From the IL State Journal - Nov. 22, 1876

Ep. 815 - Chicago's Ghoulish Past - Expanded and Re-Recorded
bit.ly/47gswWZ
Grave robbers, or "resurrectionists" as they were called, stole jewelry and valuables from caskets and in many cases stole the corpses. Those bodies were then sold to medical colleges for use in dissection.

- from the Chicago Chronicle - Oct 31 1897

Ep. 815 - Chicago's Ghoulish Past
bit.ly/47gswWZ
Efforts to move the bodies from the city cemetery were hampered in Oct. 1871, when the rush of people trying to escape the flames trampled headstones. The fire destroyed many of the graveyard's wood markers and monuments.

Ep. 815 - Chicago's Ghoulish Past - Expanded and Re-Recorded
bit.ly/47gswWZ
I wanna be the TV producer who decides during a baseball game when there's enough time to slide a 10-second Waste Management promo in before the next play.
Disused Chicago coal chutes are pretty easy to spot, but how often do you see these? The Majestic No. 3A, which I believe was used for milk and/or ice deliveries. This one is outside the back staircase on the second floor of a building on Winchester north of Montrose.
Awww, man! I guess if I had to read this news on the socials, at least it was from you, RL. A loss for Chicago.
A portion of the 1849 Rees & Rucker map of Chicago and vicinity showing the City Cemetery (where Lincoln Park is today) and the Catholic Cemetery (now part of the Gold Coast). Look how far west the shoreline was!

Episode 815 - Chicago's Ghoulish Past - Expanded and Re-Recorded
bit.ly/47gswWZ
Girls Nut Club? Extracurricular options were bonkers back then.
This all seems a little topsy turvy, but I think it will all be worth it once average Americans get to enjoy that $200 million ballroom about which that guy keeps bragging.
Saw "Roofman" at the AMC Oakbrook 12 (liked it) AND made it home in time to see the Cubs continue to crush the Brewers in game four of the NLDS. Decent day.
Parking by Wrigley at Addison and Sheffield has gotten less expensive since last week's Wild Card game.
More laserdisc goodness on a Friday - Lawrence Kasdan's "Grand Canyon" from 1991. Out of print on blu-ray, not available for streaming. Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, Mary McDonnell, Danny Glover, Alfre Woodard, and others. Newsweek's David Ansen called it "the season's most fascinating failure."
Explosions at fireworks companies were frequent in the early 1970s, including an event at the Melrose Park Display Fireworks Co. in Orland Park in March 1972 in which a series of 12 explosions killed three workers and injured 14 people. Windows were blown out for up to 12 miles around the area.
In the summer of 1910, more than 3,000 federal troops were in place in Grant Park at Camp Dickinson, a temporary military encampment set up for summer drills, training exercises, and public demonstrations of military preparedness.

Ep 814 - The Pain Fireworks Company Explosion of 1914
bit.ly/4pKB0g7