I took a class trip with my graduate U.S. History class (Age of
Industrialization at Texas Woman's University) to Chicago, site
of many important events during that time period.

The trip was greatly informative and right up my alley, as I am a
believer in practicing 'active history' - visiting the geography to
understand the destiny and legacy.

My professors, Dr. Paul Travis and Dr. Jeff Robb, thought up
this trip with a lot of help from Bob Laprelle, Director of the Age
of Steam Museum in Dallas. We took the Amtrak train to
Chicago and back, making for an excellent excursion. I highly
recommend train travel!

Here are a few photos from my trip and captions to explain what
you're seeing.
After the 1871 fire, Chicago rebuilt quickly
into a bustling town full of industry and
commerce. In fact, it became the biggest
and most important town in the whole
Midwest.

However, many workers, having no labor
laws and minimal rights to uphold their
dignity (while still needing to earn a
paycheck), rejected the rampant capitalism
that  defined the city.

Workers had few options to exercise their
rights: they struck ,joined labor
organizations, and/or joined the Socialist
party. Chicago's capitalists were very
threatened by these new ideas and utilized
the police (even the National Guard!) to quell
any 'uprisings' - employees could not even
practice their first amendment right to
assembly!

Socialist organizers were speaking at
Haymarket Square in Chicago, with police
on hand to intimidate the participants.
Someone (no one knows who) threw a
bomb into the throng of police and killed
several officers. Although the Socialist
organizers had no idea this would happen,
five of the speakers were sentenced to die
for 'inciting' the murders. Four were
eventually hanged; the fifth convicted man
blew his own head off.

The Haymarket Square Massacre is now
commemorated by a powerful statue. It
depicts men (workers) holding up the
platform from which the Socialists spoke,
symbolizing support as well as sacrifice.
We also visited the former company town of Pullman,
which was George Pullman's answer to socialism.
George, who built the well-appointed Pullman cars,
created a village where all of his employees worked,
lived, learned, and worshipped.

Pullman controlled every aspect of his status-conscious
city. Company executives lived in fancy homes; skilled
workers behind them; and unskilled laborers lived in what
one would consider tenements. Pullman even owned the
church and charged each congregation large amounts to
use the building - so it stood empty most of the time. Even
though the workers resigned themselves to living in a
controlled environment, they refused to be forced to
worship at Pullman's command. And, while George
Pullman was proud of his 'utopia,' he and his family lived
in the trendy Prairie Avenue district of Chicago.

After the Panic of 1893 (what historians consider the first
Great Depression), Pullman orders dropped and many
workers were laid off, or had their hours reduced.
However, George Pullman (either on his own accord or
through pressure from his share holders) refused to
lower rents. The worker's struck, and Pullman
'blacklisted' them from gaining employment in any other
rail road.  Railroad employees all over America realized
that in order to force Pullman to make concessions,
they'd need to strike too, and the Great Railroad Strike of
1894 (with Eugene V. Debs as leader) commenced.

Grover Cleveland ordered troops to put the strike to a halt,
claiming it was damaging commerce. While the workers
gained no concessions, the town of Pullman was
invariably damaged - not physically, as skirmishes never
occurred in Pullman, but emotionally. Pullman was forced
to abandon the town.

Left is a picture inside the old Pullman factory - the
factory burned down in the 1990s. This is a rare glimpse
as the factory grounds are not open to the public, but
being university students we were afforded a
comprehensive tour. The rails are original, as are the
doors.
Above and right: I love these photos
because they look so ... Chicago-esque. The
building above has wonderful gothic details
and looks out onto the Miracle Mile.

The El train ran right past my hotel window.
I desperately wish Dallas had as extensive
a public transit system as Chicago.
Of course I had to capture some vintage
neon! I'd be crazy not to , because
Chicago is full of great signage. It is, after
all, the starting point of Route 66!
A Week in the
Windy City