The Portland daily press., 1871-10-12
DAILY PRESS,
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1871.
The Wonderful History of Chicago.
THE IMPERIAL CITY THAT GREW IN A
SWAMP.
PORTLAND

The Wonderful History of Chicago.
THE IMPERIAL CITY THAT GREW IN
SWAMP.
In 1850 there we're in Chicago nearly two
thousand short of thirty thousand souls, and
men only misjudged the future OF the repub-
lie in doubling the future of Chicago. The
wide lands of Wisconsin aud Minnesota were
undeveloped, the fat praries of Illinois were
untitled, and the long, rich, rolling prairies of
giant Iowa were almost untouched by the
plough. The great lumber regions of the
West were loved of the hunter alone; the
heavy thud of the woodman's axe and the
falling crash of the monarchs of the forest at
the bidding of the demands of commerce
were only dreamt of by ardent spectators.
CHICAGO WAS GROWING,
but save the stories of those interested in its
welfare and watching its progress, there was
nothing but the story of an Indian massacre
far back in the century which brought the
word Chicago to the mind.
When the war of 1912 broke out, Chicago,
great Chicago, consisted of wooden fort call
ed Dearborn. erected in 1904, "to supply the
Indians wants and control the Indian policy.n
just as the forts in the far Territories are TO-
day. The lIndians, with all tine ferocity of
their nature, awakened by the impassoned
rhetoric of the powerful leader Tecumseh
were pitted against the Americans. There
were few friendly Indians, and some of
these were around .--s -As---r=-a. "A
THE DEARBORN FORT.
which was then in possession of sixty of our
soldiers under Captain Heald Word was
sent TO him by friendly Indian from Gener-
al Hall, then in command of the North
western Army, to evacuate the fort and
distribute the arms, ammunition and
all United States property among the
friendly Indians. The Indian messenger ar
rived ON the 7th of August and urged the
captain to comply with the orders without
moments notice, before the powerful Potta-
watomies would have time to harass him on
his retreat He neglected this for five days.
When he did make the proposal to the Indi.
ans they accepted his offer that they should
escort him to Fort Wayne, but he repented of
this and destroyed all the arms, except such
as were actually necessary. The Ildians de-
clared they had been betrayed, and refused to
be bound by their contract. Accordingly,
when Captain Head, in spite of this warning,
marched forth on the 18th of August, the In
dians who, to the number of 800 warriors, es-
corted them, suddenly left the road and pour
ed a volley into their flank. A fight ensued,
in xphi
pieces, the remaining twenty-seven yielding
themselves prisoners. The women and chill
dren were butchered and the fort
PLUNDERED AND BURNED,
Such was the sad "reminiscences of border
warfare which the rising Garden City gradual
ly etfaced in proportion to its swelling impor-
tance. As the West rose wonderfully into
| life so with Chicago. As it became the en-
porium of the rich products of the Tropics,
the cereals Of the temperate zone and the tim
Der and other valuable commodities of the
colder region of America, the immigrant from
older Europe and the citizen of the Eastern
States
MINGLED IN HER THRoBBING HEART.
The coal fields were developed and added
new impetus to her life. The pneries of
Michigan aud Wisconsin were sending their
lumber to her doors. As fine grain land as
the globe can boast was burning into gold
around her. Hides and tallow were becom-
ing staples OF her commerce, and in beef and
pork she was rvalling the Porkopolis OF the
Union. She had gathered around her an ar
my of ardent spirits, whose desires of success
were on par with her prospects, and the ad-
vance OF Chicago became a triumphal march.
Staid old st. Louis, ON the Father of Waters,
looked on with something of amazement at
the spick-and-span dash Of her flourishinq
young neighbor Following the capacities OF
young Chicago came.
FACILITIES OF COMMUNICATION.
The iron ways spread around her like net
connecting her with Montreal, Quebec and
Portland on the northeast; New York, Bos
ton, Philadelphia, Cincinnati and all the grea,
points on the east; with Charleston and Sa-
vannah on the southeast, and Mobile and
New Orleans on the south. Canals were dug
that water might carry what steam would
L
OF the fabulous fortunes which were made in
the advance OF
| PRICE IN REAL ESTATE
alone it was impossible to tell in day. Land
farmed or swamp neglected as waste within
fifteen years of the present date appreciated
so marvelousiy in the value that it was little
wonder it overshot the mark three or four
years ago and has fuctuated ever since. Fort
Dearborn, which was rebuilt in 1S15.was pull
ed down in 1857 1t stood in what is now
the very heart of the city-at the junction of
Michigan avenue with Lake street-and
again its site has been licked with the forked
tongue of the fiery element which left its first
structure heap of ashes.
In 1888 the town was first worthy of that
| name
IN 1887 1T WAS GRANTED A CHARTER.
The first vessel unloaded at its wharf juno
II, 1884, and in 1887 its population outside of
hogs, demoralized Indians and dogs was A,
17O. In 1888 there were thirty-fve houses,
mostly log huts. To give some idea OF its hui
man advance it is only necessary to know
that in 1S43 it numbered 1850 souls, in 1S47
it was 1850, in 1850 it totalled 2S.2e9, in
1855 it counted SO.O93; in 1860 it rose to 100,
1858; in 1865 it embraced 1859, and th,
census OF 1870 allows to the city proper 200,
$40, while including its suburbs it footed up
AT LEAST THREE HUNDRED AND FIFT,
THOUSAND SOULS.
All the world cried, well, done Chicago,
and wherever enterprise, vgor and push were
coupled with success, Chicago had its full
share of glory. Like all Western cities, il
was built at first principally of wood, and in
deed its comparative cheapness, coupled with
the scarcity and dearness of other building
material made this necessity. Built orig
nally In the midst of swamp land, it was sub
ject to the periodical overflow from the rising
OF the waters of Lake Michigan, and the re
suit was that much valuable property wa:
thus annually destroyed. Besides, its drain
| ooa ,uas dafaotiva nvinp IN the lou laval nj