History of Chicago

The history of Chicago can be traced back to the 18th century, when it was a small settlement of the Amerindians, on the southwestern coast of the Lake Michigan. This locality was initially inhabited by the Algonquian people. The prominent tribes that wandered these region were the Mascoutens and the Miamis. The French missionaries were the first Europeans to come to this region. The settlement of Algonquian people were used as stations on the trade routes by the French fur traders and trappers. The word 'Chicago' was probably coined from the French word shikaakwa, which means wild leek or skunk.

The Mission of the Guardian Angel was built in 1696, by the French, to convert the local Amerindians. In the 1720s, the French built the Fort of Chécagou, under the leadership of Pierre de Liette, from which the present day Chicago city, probably takes its name. The fort was abandoned by the French in the 1720s during the Fox wars.

In the early 1700s, the Potawatomis, took over this region from the Mascoutens and the Miamis. The first foreigner who settled in Chicago, was Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, who was a Haitian of African and French ancestry. In the 1770s, he settled down on the banks of the Chicago river and got married to a Potawatomi lady.

After the treaty of Greenville, in 1795, the Amerindians, handed over the area of present day Chicago to the United States. In the year 1803, the United States Army built Fort Dearborn. The fort was extensively used in the War of 1812. The fort was destroyed in the war when a massacre put it out of commission. The United States took back the fort after the Treaty of St. Louis, 1816. The Fort Dearborn was rebuilt in the year 1818 and remained an important and strategic post of the United States army, till 1837.

The town of Chicago was established under the protection of the Dearborn Fort. It was officially incorporated as a town on the 12th of August, 1833. The population of the town on its date of incorporation was about 350 people. Initially, the boundaries of the town were the four streets named Kinzie, Madison, Desplaines and the State. The town started quickly growing due to the abundant land, resources and the availability of freshwater of Lake Michigan.

In just seven years, the population of the town shot-up to about four thousand people. Hence, on the 4th of March, 1837, the State of Illinois granted Chicago the City Charter.

Further advancements in the infrastructure of the city greatly improved its connectivity. Some of the notable landmarks in the progress of the city were the opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal (1848), that connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi river and ultimately to the Gulf of Mexico. The railways first appeared in Chicago when the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad was constructed in the year 1848.

One of the most horrific incident occurred in the year 1871, when the Great fire of Chicago burnt almost the whole city and left 100,000 citizens homeless. The Great fire of Chicago spread throughout the city due to the large presence of trees and wood. Numerous buildings in the city were made out of wood. The disaster sent shock waves throughout the United States and very strict laws regarding fire safety and precautions were implemented.

Chicago was a city buzzing with industrial activity. The workers unions across Chicago were active and demanded an eight hour work policy. The issues took an ugly turn when the workers went on strike and organized a peaceful rally at Chicago's Haymarket square. The police attempted to disperse the rally. An unknown person threw a bomb at the police, killing 8 personnel and a number of civilians, the number is still unidentified. Investigations and trials followed, eight anarchists were tried for murder. Four were sentenced to death and one committed suicide before being released.

The population of Chicago grew substantially from 299,000 to 1.7 million between the years 1870 to 1900. The rapidly growing economy of Chicago was responsible for the attraction of many Blacks and immigrants from the south during the era that is known as the 'Great Migration'. Towards the end of the first world war, Chicago accepted immigrants and refugees from Europe. The war veterans who settled in Chicago demanded respect from the local community, especially the blacks. The communal tension eventually led to the Chicago Race Riot, in 1919. This mass racial conflict began on 27th July, 1919 and ended eight days later. These riots were considered as one of the worst riots and were a part of the Red Summer of 1919 (an event of riots that took place all over the United States of America in 1919).

One of the most brilliant events that were hosted by Chicago was the World Colombian Exposition. This exposition took place to mark the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' landing in the New World. The exposition saw the participation of over 27.5 million visitors. The venue was constructed on reclaimed marshland. The buildings and pavilions of the fair were designed using a classical theme. The world's largest ferry wheel was featured in the exposition.

One of the darkest periods in the history of Chicago was during the regime of the notorious gangster and the lord of the underworld of the United States, Al Capone.

On 2nd December, 1942, the first nuclear reaction in a controlled environment was conducted at the University of Chicago. US Steel, the steel producing giant company became the largest employer of the city.

Today, Chicago is undergoing many significant changes. The citizens and administrative authorities have taken up projects to preserve the environment and the biodiversity of the city and the region. Due to these projects the atmosphere of Chicago has become, clean, healthy, joyful and happy.