Arcadia Bestsellers

From watch catalog to international retail empire, revisit Sears's Windy City history with author Val Rendel and remember how good the “Good Life” once was.

In 1887, Richard W. Sears started a Chicago mail-order house that quickly outpaced its competitors, including Montgomery Ward. For millions of rural Americans over the next hundred years, Chicago was the place where dreams came from. Here, the “World’s Largest Store” opened its first retail buildings, debuted its WLS radio station and transformed the global marketplace from the Great Works headquarters complex. Today, Sears has faded from the city of its birth, but many marks of the once-great business remain, from repurposed iconic department store buildings to the Sears kit homes still scattered across the suburbs. The 110-story skyscraper that dominates the skyline will forever be known to locals as the Sears Tower. Sears greatest legacy, however, was the role it played in shaping the lives of generations of Chicagoans.

This is the story of Chicago's vibrant music scene in the 1960s and 1970s.

The 1960s and 1970s was a time when jazz, rock and roll, country and western, folk, blues, and R & B flowed through the streets of Chicagoland. Much has been written about the national and international talent of that time, but not enough has been written regarding local music scenes. This story focuses on the city of Chicago (along with its suburban club scene) and the homegrown performers who made the 1960s and 1970s one of the most electrifying and memorable periods in music history. Some of those players went all the way to the big time, while others made their mark and disappeared. But they all made a difference in their own way, and for those who were there, it is a time they will never forget.

In vivid historical images and rare archival documents, see for yourself how Joliet became a quintessential American City.

Joliet once was a lush prairie bordered with scenic bluffs along the Des Plaines River. In the late 19th century, settlers and a large influx of Eastern European immigrants arrived, transforming the area into a bustling industrial community of steel, limestone, manufacturing, and transportation. In the 20th century, Joliet transformed itself from an industrial hub to a destination of entertainment and tourism. Tourism thrives as people visit the National Hot Rod Association drag strip, NASCAR track, two casinos, the JackHammers minor-league baseball team and baseball stadium, a water park, the historical museum, and library. Joliet depicts the rich cultural heritage impressed on the city and shows how the people lived and worked together, earning Joliet the title of All-American City in 1955 by the National Municipal League and Look magazine.

Robert Sengstacke Abbott had a vision, purpose, and a slogan that said it all: ""American race prejudice must be destroyed.""

In 1905, Abbott created the Chicago Defenderwith 25¢ and a dream in his landlady's kitchen. The Defender was a platform and voice for talents such as Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and W.E.B. DuBois. What began as a humble weekly grew into the largest and most influential Black newspaper in the country, inspiring roughly a million African Americans to leave the oppressive South for a better life in the North. Born in 1868 on the heels of the Reconstruction Era, Abbott--the son of former slaves--managed to influence the first two decades of the 20th century and was a major contributor to the prolific movement known as the ""Great Northern Migration."" Boasting a circulation of over 300,000 nationally, the Defender was secretly delivered by Pullman porters across the United States. By 1920, the paper's tagline read, ""The World's Greatest Weekly."" The story of the Defender is one of inspiration, struggle, triumph, and irreversible pathways being forged.

Once known as a "brickyard town," the small town of Manteno holds a special place for not just Americans, but for French, Canadians, and Indigenous people as well.

Though the village of Manteno was only formed thanks to the Illinois Central Railroad in 1869, the area had been populated for generations before that - Manteno's name derives from Mawteno, a Potawatomi maiden whose people lived in the area before the arrival of Europeans. Farming has always been a mainstay in Manteno, and its importance continues today, but Manteno's boundaries widened as a mental hospital opened on its eastern border in 1930 and a major interstate sprang up on its western edge decades later. Part of the French-Canadian Heritage Corridor, it was common to hear French on the streets of Manteno well into the 20th century by many residents as well as by an order of nuns from Paris who chose Manteno for a Catholic boarding school - a school they operated for more than six decades. Among former Mantenoans is a man who won the "Grand Prize of the World" in 1900, a woman who canvassed for women's rights legislation that swept the nation in the 19th century, and a family who left its mark on the history of American aviation.

One Hundred stories from the last century that salute the legacy of Wrigley Field and its beloved Cubs.

Charge through the turnstiles of this collection of personal stories about baseball's greatest ballpark and the sacred space it occupies in the hearts of Cubs fans and the soul of Wrigleyville. With contributors like Bob Costas, Rick Sutcliffe and Steve Stone, these 100 stories reflect the variety of millions of Cubs fans around the world, from those whose relationship with the Friendly Confines has lasted a lifetime to those who are taking their seats up close to the ivy for the very first time.

Start your engines! Relive the energy and intensity Blue Island's Raceway Park offered for decades with numerous rarely-seen images.

On September 24, 1938, Raceway Park officially opened its doors, and the track remained open for over 60 years. The first race was won by Harry McQuinn, who went on to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and become the chief pit steward of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 1948, Raceway Park added stock car races to its regular program, and the track became a popular entertainment venue throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s as thousands of Chicagoans filled the stands. The track held its last race in 2000 and was torn down the following year. Although Raceway Park is now a part of history, the ""World's Busiest Track"" is still in the hearts and minds of many Chicagoland race fans.

This fascinating addition to the Images of America series offers a glimpse into the unique history of Dixon, Illinois, with more than 200 historic photographs.

In the spring of 1830, John Dixon settled with his family near the Rock River in Northern Illinois. Dixon, Illinois, soon grew as men crossed the river here on their way to work in the mines at Galena. In 1832, the Black Hawk War brought a number of now-famous men to this remote outpost of civilization. Winfield Scott, Zachary Taylor, Robert Anderson, Abraham Lincoln, and Jefferson Davis were all here, each of them equally unconscious of future immortal honors. The act of the Illinois General Assembly creating Lee County was approved February 27, 1839, with Dixon officially becoming the county seat on May 31, 1839. Dixon was on its way to fast becoming a central point in Illinois, well known for its industry, beautiful scenery, and the enchantment of the Rock River Valley.

The fascinating story of Aurora's industries is recalled through the photographs of the workers themselves--many of which have never been published. Also featured in Aurora, Illinois, is a look at a master photographer and his son, who ran the foremost studio in Aurora. An 1887 description of downtown Aurora, written by a high school student who was a contemporary, is also included in this welcome new addition to the Images of America series.

Rockford rightly prizes its prosperous heritage, earned by manufacturing concerns like the Rockford Watch Factory and the Manny Reaper Company. But the town once named Midway also harbors a history of crime and calamity.

Gunfire broke out in the streets when networks of Prohibition informants slid sideways. In 1893, John Hart forced his own sisters to drink poison. Three years later, James French shot down his wife in the street. Over the years, a courthouse collapsed, a factory exploded and trains collided. Join local historian Kathi Kresol as she explores the mayhem milling about in Rockford's past.

These pages bring to life the people, events, communities, and industries that helped shape and transform McHenry County. With more than 200 vintage images, culled from three collections-the McHenry County Historical Society, the Crystal Lake Historical Society, the James Keefe Collection, and the personal collection of Don Peasley-McHenry County, Illinois, portrays life against a backdrop of international wars, national social struggles, and technological advances in an expanding world.

By 1900, one in four Chicagoans was either German born or had a German-born parent.

No other ethnic group's thumbprint has been larger in helping establish Chicago as a major economic and cultural center nor has any group's influence been more erased by the passage and vicissitudes of time. Lost German Chicago traces the mosaic of German life through the tumultuous events of the Beer Riots, Haymarket Affair, Prohibition, and America's entry into two world wars. The book is a companion piece to the Lost German Chicago exhibition debuting in the newly created DANK-Haus German American Cultural Center museum, located in what is still known today as the ""German town"" of the north side of Chicago. Entrusted as the caretaker of many archives, artifacts, and historical documents from many now defunct German organizations, the DANK-Haus German American Cultural Center has been committed to preserving history, traditions, and contributions of Germans and German Americans for over 50 years.

A fascinating history of Park Ridge, Illinois, detailing its diverse community and past.

In 1835, immigrants began to arrive from New York and New England to the area first called Pennyville, later renamed Brickton to reflect its leading industry, then finally incorporated as the Village of Park Ridge in 1873. The name originates from the village's park-like setting and an erroneous belief that the ridge at Johnston's Circle--today the three-way intersection of Touhy, Prospect, and Northwest Highway--was the highest point in Cook County. Notable names associated with Park Ridge include Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and actor Harrison Ford, who both attended Maine East High School; Chicago Cubs great Ron Santo, who operated a popular pizzeria in town; and painter Grant Wood, whose American Gothic is one of the 20th century's great works of Americana. Anchored by the landmark Pickwick Theater, a fine example of art deco architecture built in 1928, downtown Park Ridge has changed much over the years, a transformation captured so well in the pages of this book.

Witness a never-before-seen perspective of the personnel who have become legends in their own in the stands of The Friendly Confines.

In 1970, a vendor at Wrigley Field had an amazing idea to turn his personal camera away from the baseball diamond and toward his fellow ballpark hawkers as they went about their daily jobs of selling souvenirs, programs, hot dogs, ice cream, and soft drinks. Along the way, he also captured images of other employees - ushers, security staff, commissary workers, and union officials. The result, Wrigley Field's Amazing Vendors, offers an inside look of Major League Baseball that Arcadia Publishing is proud to include in its Images of Modern America series. The subjects themselves are amazing: a blind Frosty Malt vendor; a singing peanut vendor; a Coca-Cola vendor who went on to become an economic adviser to the president of the United States. Many of the vendors photographed in the 1970s are still in the aisles of Wrigley Field today. Others left for new career opportunities, while a few became legends in vending history.

Using historical images and recollections, Evanston Hospital School of Nursing: 1898–1984 highlights the marketing, education, curriculum, and values of EHSN as well as the students’ experience and dormitory life.

Evanston Hospital was founded in 1891, followed by the school of nursing seven years later. Evanston Hospital School of Nursing (EHSN) provided education at a reasonable cost while the students provided care to patients in between studies. In its first 50 years, the school graduated 1,157 nurses, with the first class of two graduating in 1901. EHSN, like other diploma programs, flourished until educational cost escalated, technology boomed, training methods evolved, and a conversation about where and how nurses should be educated began. After 86 years of training nurses, EHSN closed.

Carolyn Hope Smeltzer and Barbara Ann McQuillan, 1972 EHSN graduates, are proud of their education and realize the historical value of the program. Having graduated 50 years ago, they are passionate about preserving the school’s history and capturing classmates’ memories. Their desire to keep alive EHSN history enables past generations of diploma graduates to cherish their own memories and future generations of nurses to look back on past teaching practices. This book will elicit familiar fond memories for all who attended or taught in any diploma school of nursing.

For the first time, the magnificent architecture of Chicago, spanning well over 200 years of building, is shown here in one collection.

Chicago's architecture has been called the most important in the United States by the American Institute of Architects, and perhaps no other type of architecture has had as significant of an impact on the city's look, feel, and character as classical architecture. Chicago's connection to classical architecture dates back to the famed 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, with its gleaming ""White City"" of ornate Beaux-Arts buildings. After the fair, the ""Plan of Chicago,"" developed by Daniel Burnham, the fair's lead architect, paved the way for the further spread of classical building not only in Chicago, but throughout the country. In the 21st century, Chicago still retains its classical look, much of which is either directly or indirectly linked to Burnham and the 1893 fair. Burnham's renowned plan influenced what Chicagoans now see in Grant Park, for example, as well as in other structures, homes, government and office buildings, monuments, hotels, schools, and museums-all inspired by Greek and Roman architecture. For the first time, these structures-spanning well over 200 years of building-are shown here in one collection.

Situated on a prehistoric ridge, Blue Island is among the earliest established communities in northeastern Illinois, first settled in 1835, later becoming a village in 1872 and a city in 1901. This hardworking town was connected to the American economy through its rivers, canals, and railroads, including the Rock Island Railroad shops. Its brickyards led the nation in production and supplied the very blocks of Chicago’s rebirth after the Great Fire. The architecture of immigrant merchants and significant institutions has largely been preserved, along with many homes of working-class and prominent residents. Renowned architects, including George Washington Maher, Bertrand Goldberg, and Blue Island’s own Robert Seyfarth, designed local landmarks. Blue Island is a community of immense pride that is as aware of its uniqueness as it is eager to share it.

Jason Berry lives in Blue Island and is a life member of the Blue Island Historical Society. Kevin Barron is a special education teacher and creator of the free historic resources organization SouthCookExplore. The images for this book were selected from the Blue Island Historical Society archives and museum. For more than 50 years, the society and its vibrant programming have kept Blue Island’s history a vital part of its continued discovery.

Alton, Illinois, is a historic river town with a fascinating history. It was the home of multiple Native American tribes and later served as a busy river port. It played an important role in the Civil War and became a major industrial town. The end of the 20th century marked great changes as Alton lost much of its industrial base and population, although it was rejuvenated by new industry and commerce.

Michael Barr Mossman, a graduate of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, grew up in Alton. The main sources for this book are Robert K. Graul (longtime photographer for the Alton Telegraph) and the Hayner Public Library District.

Home to Chicago's Polish Village, impressive examples of architecture, and the legendary Olson Waterfall, Avondale is often called "the neighborhood that built Chicago."

Images of America: Avondale and Chicago's Polish Village sheds light on the little known history of the community, including its fascinating industrial past. From its beginnings as a sleepy subdivision started by a Michigan senator, it became a cultural mecca for Chicago's Polish community, playing a crucial role in Poland's struggles for independence. Many people from all over the world also called Avondale home, such as Scottish proprietors, African American freedmen, Irish activists, Swedish shopkeepers, German tradesmen, Jewish merchants, Filipino laborers, and Italian entrepreneurs; a diversity further enriched as many from the former Soviet Bloc and Latin America settled here. Avondale would be unrecognizable today from its humble origins, but the strong sense of community these neighbors have will never change.

Learn how Chicago's world-renowned Hull-House committed to humanizing the industrial city and became a model for progressive educators.

For generations, Chicagoans played in the nursery school, debated political issues, learned folk dancing, or attended citizenship classes at the city's world-famous Hull-House. From its founding by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr as a settlement house in 1889, Hull-House offered an abundant variety of community services, social activities, and educational opportunities to nourish the spirits and address the material needs of its working class neighbors on the Near West Side of Chicago. Committed to fostering an informed and active citizenry among other things, the talented residential volunteer staff at Hull-House became expert social investigators who documented neighborhood conditions with statistics, but also with passion.

Visit the Back of the Yards neighborhood and setting for Upton Sinclair's The Jungle.

The Back of the Yards neighborhood, located in back of the Union Stockyards and composed of Packingtown, Town of Lake, and New City, was the setting of Upton Sinclair's classic 1906 novel, The Jungle. Permeated by an unforgettable smell, Back of the Yards was a melting pot of immigrants, many who worked in the stockyards. In 1894, Mary McDowell started the University of Chicago Settlement House in Back of the Yards. She improved living conditions and in 1905 helped create Davis Square Park. The Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council was founded in 1939 by Joseph Meegan, Saul Alinsky, and Bishop Bernard Sheil and is America's oldest not for profit community based organization. It consisted of 185 delegate organizations involving residents, business owners, churches, parks, schools, and social clubs that worked to advocate improvements. The council motto continues on as ""We the people will work out our own destiny."" Relive the bustling activity and the lives of the people in the neighborhood through the historic images in Back of the Yards.

The Mississippi River Festival began as a partnership promoting regional cooperation in the realm of the performing arts, since expanding into a festival of legendary status.

In 1969, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville initiated a remarkable performing arts series called the Mississippi River Festival. Over 12 summer seasons, between 1969 and 1980, the festival presented 353 events showcasing performers in a variety of musical genres, including classical, chamber, vocal, ragtime, blues, folk, bluegrass, barbershop, country, and rock, as well as dance and theater. During those years, more than one million visitors flocked to the spacious Gyo Obata-designed campus in the countryside near St. Louis. The Mississippi River Festival began as a partnership promoting regional cooperation in the realm of the performing arts. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville invited the St. Louis Symphony to establish residence on campus and to offer a summer season. To host the symphony, the university created an outdoor concert venue within a natural amphitheater by installing a large circus tent, a stage and acoustic shell, and a sophisticated sound system. To appeal to the widest possible audience, the university included contemporary popular musicians in the series. The audacity of the undertaking, the charm of the venue, the popularity of the artists, the excellence of the performances, and the nostalgic memory of warm summer evenings have combined to endow the festival with legendary status among those who attended.

From 19th century trading post to one of the world's great financial, business, and entertainment districts, experience the growth and changes of the Windy City.

Chicago's famed Loopis said to have gotten its name from the route of a cable car that looped the central business district in 1882. Since then, much has changed.

This book captures the evolving urban landscape of the Chicago Loop, with a collection of over 100 vintage images, each coupled with its contemporary counterpart. Few cities are as renowned for their architecture as is Chicago. The impressive skyscrapers in and around the Loopgive Chicago a skyline second to none. And with more than three dozen historic landmarks, the Loopis home to many of the city's most recognized structures.

Authors Janice A. Knox and Heather Olivia Belcher are both native Chicagoans and collectors of Chicago memorabilia. Together they have created a book that shows us the Chicago we know and love today, along with a clear echo of the city's rich, ever-changing landscape.

Many Chicagoans and tourists from outside the city are rediscovering this colorful and historic neighborhood. Let this history book serve as their guide.

For nearly 150 years, Pilsen has been a port of entry for thousands of immigrants. Mexicans, Czechs, Poles, Lithuanians, Croatians, and Germans are some of the ethnic groups who passed through this "Ellis Island" on Chicago's Near Westside. Early generations came searching for work and found plenty of jobs in the lumber mills, breweries, family-run shops and large factories that took root here. Today most jobs exist outside of Pilsen, but the neighborhood is still home to a loyal population. Pilsen is compact but abounds with close-knit families, elaborate churches, mom-and-pop stores, and sturdy brick homes. Nearly 200 photographs from libraries, personal scrapbooks, and museums provide the evidence. Some notable people who walked the streets of Pilsen include Anton Cermak, Amalia Mendoza, George Halas, Cesar Chavez, Judy Barr Topinka, and Stuart Dybek. Today the Pilsen schools are nurturing another generation of artists, athletes, and activists.

With over two hundred neighborhoods divided into seventy-seven community areas, Chicago offers a dazzling and daunting challenge to ambitious tourists and lifelong citizens.

Anyone who's never been to Chicago will be shocked to learn how big it really is. Did you know that Humboldt Park isn't even in Humboldt Park? Confused about the exact boundaries of West Elsdon or curious about the origins of the famous Second City Theater? In a handbook that is both an entertaining adventure and a methodical survey, Mary Zangs tackles all seventy-seven communities, providing maps, points of interest and local perspectives for the many places Chicagoans call home.

Page by page, picture by picture, step back in time and discover the remarkable history of Evanston.

Enjoy a trip through historic Evanston. See how Davis Street and Sherman and Orrington Avenues appeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Learn how Fountain Square has evolved and how the Merrick Rose Garden is connected. See Northwestern University as it was founded, along with early Evanston's lakefront, city hall, library, and post office. Many of the buildings shown in this book are still standing, while others have been demolished. In some postcard views the stately elm trees of later decades are seen as saplings. The Library Plaza Hotel, North Shore Hotel, and Georgian Hotel are here as well, along with the historic schools, churches, train depots, and, of course, Grosse Point Lighthouse, which all helped shape the city in its formative years.

Since opening its doors in September 1965, Rock Valley College has been a cornerstone of education and community for northern Illinois. From its formation following a district-wide referendum in October 1964, the college embraced national and regional movements, demonstrating that Rock Valley College’s story is one of progress and transformation.

During the 1970s, the college expanded educational, employment, and athletic opportunities for women, and in the 1980s, it confronted the region’s Rust Belt decline through investments in advanced technical and health care fields. This legacy continued in the 21st century when Rock Valley College formed partnerships with Northern Illinois University and OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center. The college’s dedication to high-quality liberal arts and science education has empowered students to transfer to four-year universities, while its commitment to fostering an inclusive environment reflects the growing diversity of the community. Rock Valley College’s influence extends far beyond the classroom. Its alumni—over 33,000 degree and certificate holders—serve as a testament to the college's lasting impact.

Daniel Blumlo, PhD, is a history professor at Rock Valley College, where he has taught since 2010. This book draws upon images and documents from the Rock Valley College Archives and the Starlight Theater Archives to chronicle the college’s dynamic journey.

When visiting a church such as Holy Cross in Back of the Yards or Nativity Blessed Virgin Mary in Marquette Park, it is easy to stand in awe of what generations of Lithuanians in Chicago have accomplished. 

The community’s many churches, sprawling cultural institutions, schools, and countless organizations stand as a testament to its pride and work ethic. For nearly 150 years and across three waves of immigration, Lithuanians came to Chicago seeking freedom and opportunity not afforded them at home. The first people to come at the turn of the 20th century worked and lived mostly in and around the stockyards and centered their community on the parish church. Those who came after World War II, fleeing the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, were foremost committed to advocating for their homeland and keeping their heritage alive. The numerous organizations and cultural centers they established reflect this. The most recent wave revitalized an aging community, injecting new energy into existing organizations and opening new businesses, schools, and other organizations.

Justin G. Riskus is a history teacher and writer who has many fond memories of growing up in the Lithuanian communities of Chicago, Lemont, and Gary, Indiana. He is also the author of Arcadia’s Lithuanian Chicago, published in 2013. The majority of images in this book come from the archives of the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture as well as other organizations and community members. 

A town transformed by the American railroad system, Danville, Illinois's rich history is displayed through a collection of images throughout the centuries.

Named after early pioneer and fur trapper Dan Beckwith, Danville was a dream realized when the first town lots were auctioned on April 10, 1827. The town grew, especially after the ""iron horse"" made its way into the area. The railroad opened the doors to Danville's rich manufacturing potential, and the town expanded. Serving as the Vermilion County seat, Danville has undergone many changes in the last 70 years. Although the focus of its economy has changed, the days of General Motors, Chuckles, General Electric, and many more businesses and industries that provided work and brought people to the county linger in memory. Employment provided a rich and full life upon which the heritage of Danville was built.

In the northeast corner of McHenry County, the Fox River winds its way through Johnsburg, a small village of German ancestry settled in the 1840s.

The center of all community activity was St. John's Catholic Church, which stood on the highest spot in town. Its steeples were visible when entering the village. On the other side of Johnsburg, Pistakee Bay was an unsettled area known for good hunting and fishing. Many of the visitors to Pistakee were wealthy businessmen or Chicago politicians who built large mansions here. The Pistakee Yacht Club with its colorful regattas brought visitors to both participate in and observe the white sails flying across the water. On summer evenings, the sound of music twinkled across the bay from parties held on the shore.

Discover the Chicago community that transformed into a decadent escape after the Great Chicago fire.

Known as the ""Village in the City,"" the Beverly/Morgan Park community developed as a country retreat for Chicago's social, political, and economic elite after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The area's geography also affected its development; a ridge formed by the last glacier to visit the area over 12,000 years ago placed the community at the highest elevation in the city and made it a perfect place to build large elaborate homes. With a section of the neighborhood designated as the Ridge Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, Beverly/Morgan Park instantly stands out as a unique area of the city because of its diverse architectural styles, notable history, and strong sense of community.

But The National Pastime arrived in Chicago well before the 1876 season, as is proven in this fascinating new book, 19th Century Baseball in Chicago, illustrated with over 150 vintage images.Any local fan of the modern game-whether the action takes place at the Friendly Confines, 35th & Shields, or the cozy setting of a minor league ballpark out in Kane or suburban Cook County-will enjoy the wealth of information offered in 19th Century Baseball in Chicago.

Berwyn, a suburb of Chicago, saw rapid expansion in the 1920s and traces its roots back to the 19th century, representing the American Dream.

Eight miles west of downtown Chicago sits a suburb with a rich, vibrant history. Berwyn began in the 19th century as two separate communities with vast stretches of marshland and farmland between. By the early 1900s, this booming municipality successfully kept industry at bay while remaining a strictly residential development. As thousands of bungalows were constructed in the 1920s, the ""City of Homes,"" as it was known, became the fastest-growing community in the United States. For many generations, the suburb has attracted hard-working people who take pride in their homes and exemplify the fulfillment of the American Dream.

Croatians of Chicagolandexamines how the Croatian community, its leaders, clergy, laborers, politicians, athletes, benevolent societies, and social organizations helped build and shape Chicago's history.

Chicago was once known as the Second Croatian Capital. Lured by economic, political, and social freedoms, Croatians, like other immigrants, came to Chicago in search of the American dream.

The first documented groups settled mainly in Pilsen, Bridgeport, and theSouth Side in the late 1800s. By the turn of the century, these immigrants toiled in Chicago's steel mills, meatpacking plants, and construction sites. They soon formed social groups, churches, schools, Croatian-language newspapers, and other infrastructure needed to support the expanding community. Today there are more than 150,000 descendants of Croatian heritage in the Chicagolandarea, and many of the foundations built by the forefathers continue to service the community. Ivan Meštrovic´'s Indiansculptures still adorn Congress Parkwayand Michael Bilandic´ remains in the history books as the only Croatian mayor of Chicago.

Author Maria Dugandžic´-Pašic´ was born, and still lives, in Chicago. Her mother was a first-generation Croatian whose parents emigrated in 1951. Her father arrived in the early 1960s from Bosnia-Herzegovina. As a producer with CNN, she has covered major news events in Chicago, Rome, London, Jerusalem, and the Balkans.

Through the 200-plus photographs and informative captions, this visual history by local author Sandra Bennett Williams seeks to remind residents of Hinsdale's charming past.

In 1858, the town of Fullersburg, centered at what is now York Road and Ogden Avenue, petitioned the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to develop a western route that would pass through their community. The track was eventually built, but finding the topography at Fullersburg unsuitable, the route curved one mile to the south through vacant prairie. Enterprising entrepreneur William Robbins seized this opportunity, purchasing land along the new route and creating a community: Hinsdale. Designed to be a commuter suburb, Hinsdale's clean air, safe streets, and large lots have made it the perfect choice for Chicago business leaders since its beginning. It remains without industry, reflecting the comfortable well-being of its residents.

Here is the black Chicago family album, of African Americans leaving the violent, racist South and ""goin' to Chicago"" to find the American Dream.

The story of black Chicago is so rich that few know it all. It began long before the city itself. Wells, the Eighth Regiment, Jesse Jackson, Oprah, and much more . . . including a guy named Obama. ""The first white man here was a black man,"" Potowatami natives reportedly said about Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, the brown-skinned man recognized as Chicago's first non-Indian settler. It's all here: from the site of DuSable's cabin--now smack-dab in the middle of Chicago's Magnificent Mile--to images of famous and infamous residents like boxers Jack Johnson, Muhammad Ali, and Joe Louis. Here are leaders and cultural touchstones like Jesse Binga's bank, Robert S. Abbott's Chicago Defender, legendary filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, Ida B. Here is the black Chicago family album, of folks who made and never made the headlines, and pictures and stories of kinship and fellowship of African Americans leaving the violent, racist South and ""goin' to Chicago"" to find their piece of the American Dream. Chicago has been called the ""Second City,"" but black Chicago is second to none.

After an extremely hot and dry summer, Chicago got a spark that grew into something unimiginable and unforgettable on Oct. 8, 1871.

On Oct. 8, 1871, what became known as "the Great Chicago Fire" was a massive firestorm that moved faster than most men could run, fueled by southwest winds of at least 30 miles per hour. The heat was so intense it melted stone and brick buildings in minutes and turned sand on the lakeshore into glass. A total of 18,000 buildings were destroyed. About 100,000 were left homeless, and over 300 lost their lives. The very same day, and nearly the same hour, both the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and Peshtigo, Wisconsin, suffered similar firestorms. Peshtigo's was even worse, creating an event that came to be known as "the Peshtigo Paradigm." Many people believe the three fires forming a huge triangle of destruction were related as one with cosmic causes, and it remains a mystery to this day. Authors and native Chicagoans John Boda and Ray Johnson take you inside this historic happening.

Join Mark D. Hanson as he chronicles the long-standing and cohesive relationship between the farming town of Rantoul and the Chanute Air Force base.

Rantoul and the former Chanute Air Force Base are inseparably intertwined as primary players in a single historical narrative. Rantoul was first founded as an agriculturally based community in 1848 near an area known as Mink Grove. The settlement boomed with the coming of the Illinois Central Railroad in 1854; a railroad championed by the town's namesake, Robert Rantoul Jr. Disaster followed in 1899 and again in 1901 with devastating fires. Then, in 1917, a U.S. Army flying field was built on the outskirts of Rantoul. Named after the aviation pioneer Octave Chanute, Chanute Field, later Chanute Air Force Base, became a premier technical training facility. A mutually beneficial relationship quickly developed between these civilian and military establishments that would last for over 75 years. Chanute Air Force Base closed in 1993, ushering in yet another new era for the village of Rantoul.

Join John R. Schmidt on a day-by-day look at some of Chicago's most fascinating lesser-known events.

Think you know Chicago? If you are thinking of Al Capone, the L, the Cubs, Barack Obama or the Great Fire of 1871, then you are remembering the highlights from the tour bus. Here's the rest of the story, day by day. Chicago opened the first blood bank, invented the vacuum cleaner and sent a bowling ball around the world. One high school football game drew 120,000 people. Chicagoans fought nineteen years over the name of a street. For fifty years, they saved a gallows for an escaped killer. And those are just some of the stories...

A memoir of a life in activism by one of the original defendants in the Trial of the Chicago 7, subject of the 2020 Oscar-nominated Aaron Sorkin film of the same name.

In March 1969, eight young men were indicted by the federal government for conspiracy to incite a riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. First dubbed the Conspiracy 8 and later the Chicago 7, the group included firebrands like Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Bobby Seale. But it also included a little-known community activist and social worker from the South Side of Chicago named Lee Weiner, who was just as surprised as the rest of the country when his name was included in the indictment. The ensuing trial of the Chicago 7 became a media sensation, and it changed Weiner's life forever. In this irreverent, freewheeling memoir of an indelible moment in history--which Kirkus Reviews called a welcome addition to the library of the countercultural 1960s left--Conspiracy to Riot shows how a commitment to your ideals can change your destiny forever.

With startling relevance to today's polarized political climate, Conspiracy to Riot is a book for anyone who hopes for a better, more just world, and offers a blueprint for how to make it happen.

Discover the history most Chicagoans don't know---the real Chicago Way.

The Windy City is full of forgotten landmarks and unusual stories that rarely get the benefit of a guided tour. Meet the African-American congressman who paved the way for Harold Washington and Barack Obama, the South Side Jewish girl who became the president of a South American country, and the visiting Romanian queen who charmed the city. Learn when Chicagoans were paid to smile, how furniture sprouts on Windy City streets after a blizzard and why Smell-O-Vision seemed like a good idea. From an in-city ski resort to the nation's greatest train robbery, author John R. Schmidt offers a glimpse of the overlooked scenery of Chicago's past.

Meet the Chicagoans who had the vision -- or the chicanery -- to turn a worthless marsh into the amazing cityscape that is modern Streeterville. The towering buildings between beautiful Lake Michigan and Chicago's Magnificent Mile didn't just happen. Follow the development from mud and sand to office towers and exclusive residences. The cast includes Cap'n Streeter, real estate genius Potter Palmer, developer Jerrold Wexler, and architect Mies van der Rohe, as well as activists who fought against development. Author Wayne Klatt traces the evolution of the Streeterville neighborhood from lake shore mansions, through a postwar fallow period, and then to an energetic burst of construction that gave Chicago its new downtown.

Elgin was named by a city founder, James T. Gifford, after his favorite hymn.

The city shares its name with 20 cities in 15 states and 8 countries. Elgin is situated on the banks of the Fox River, 35 milesnorthwest of Chicago, the city with which Elgin had thriving business exchanges in agricultural and industrial goods. The city's world-wide fame, for the most part, has come from its watch factory and Mr. Gail Borden's milk company. Pianos, shoes, books, and even chewing gum were also manufactured in Elgin and sold internationally. This exciting new study of a major Midwestern city is chock-full of images, many of which have never before been published. Featured in Elgin, Illinois is information about the Elgin National Watch Company, early circus and carnival attractions, as well as rip-roaring national road races. Highlighted in one chapter is Elgin's part in helping to win World War Iat home, complete with original photographs from the front in Europe. This lively and historical look at Elgin from the 1800s to the 1930s is interwoven with national and international trends and events.

See Highland Park's transformation from forest and farmland to a fashionable and residential Chicago community.

Highland Park represents one of the finest examples of late-19th-century suburban development. Its abundant natural beauty was quickly recognized and preserved by the visionary design of two well-known landscape architects, Horace W. S. Cleveland and William M. R. French. Capitalizing on the setting and boasting ""good schools, good churches and good society,"" the Highland Park Building Company transformed the scenic village into one of the most desirable communities on Chicago's North Shore, attracting socially prominent residents who built gracious lakefront estates and quiet country homes along its bluffs and shady lanes.

Historic photographs illustrate this change and capture the social, civic and business accomplishments of Highland Park's early citizens. The city's early progress and prosperity are celebrated in this book.

From musicians and mobsters to mayors and men of the cloth, discover the fascinating history of Chicago's Irish history.

The history of the Irish in Chicago goes back to the days when the city was little more than an outpost on the prairie shores of Lake Michigan. Drawn by opportunities in the growing frontier town, Irish men and women who were fleeing economic hardship and famine in Ireland were quick to make their mark on Chicago's political, religious, and economic life. The unique position of the Irish among immigrant groups-English speaking and more culturally attuned to Anglo-American institutions, yet Catholic-allowed them to flourish in occupations and social positions for which they have become known. Most notably, the Irish in Chicago have produced eight mayors and many bishops. But Irish Chicago is also the story of those who built and enlivened the city: the policemen, firemen, priests, nuns and brothers, tavern owners, educators, transit workers, musicians, and ward politicians made good, and the north, south, and west side neighborhoods and parishes they inhabited.

Once known as Junction Grove, the rich history of Englewood began in the mid-1800s as the area quickly developed into a rail and commerce crossroads.

Before 1850, the area was an oak forest with dense swamp land, but the railroad would change things forever. Several of the railroad lines crossed at what became known as Junction Grove, but in 1868, the name would change to Englewood; in 1889, Englewood became part of the city of Chicago. With its four railroad stations, Englewood has long been a transportation hub of the southwest side. This easy access helped to make Englewood one of the largest outlying business districts in the country for much of the first half of the 20th century, but the quality of life in Englewood has dropped dramatically since. Now a struggling urban area, known as Chicago's murder capital, it is also nevertheless known for its grassroots organizations and strong sense of community, on the forefront of revival.Chicago's Englewood Neighborhood: At the Junctionexplores the history of the people, places, commerce, and community that have created this ever-dynamic neighborhood.