, 1890-01-19

WHAT A HALF CENTURY HAS WROUGHT.
Chicago is in latitude Al dogs, So min,
90 sec. longitude, 81 dogs, IS min,
west, with a lake exposure which is es-
pecially noticeable at that season of the
year when the small boys do most go in
bathing. The site of Chicago was deter
mined by the Chicago river, up the south
branch Of which, the historian says, the
Indian padded his canoe. ages before Sir
George Pullman invented his Justly cele-
brated hingeless sleeping car blankets or
Philip Armour introduced his Juicy side
meats and succulent leaf lard into the
great seething marts of trade. Here,
where once the rank thistle nodded in the
wynd and the dusky warrior, innocent
eyether of the knowledge of gunpowder
or Persian powder, warrsd with the turbu-
lent Sioux or the more peaceful Chippewa,
now a mighty metropolis, laying hold
upon the entire national system OF railway
traffic, sits calmly at the foot of a great
chain of lakes and calls attention to her
self by means OF good reading notices in
the press, prepared by the skillful hand
VI HuAA 10 SbhllIo DilltJ w ailGlY
of Hartford, Conn aud published by
our esteemed contemporary, Mr..
Harper, whose neat little journal of civili-
cation is printed at the west end Of tie
bridge.
Although the location OF Chicago is to
all appearance on a low, fiat piece ofland,
1t is as a matter OF fact a sort OF water
shed non the less, and the dividing line
between the great valley of the st. Law
renee and the Mississippi. This makes
it healthful and fills the air with vigor,
for the city is fully eighteen feet above
the level of the lake. Climbing this
height by easy stages, one is enabled to
look down upon the lake which lies at his
feet, and a sunrise viewed from the crest
Michigan avenue is well worth getting up
TO witness. even though one has been up
until quite late the evening before.
Marquette, the Jesuit missionary, in
1913, was the first white man to set foot
on the site where since 50 many eminent
and extensive feet have been set. He
was on his way to catchA Milwaukee train
and got brldged there. Subsequently he,
La Sale, Joliet aud Hennepln passed
down from the lake via the south branch
Of the Chicago river to the Mississippi.
In 1904 the government built Fort
Dearborn at the mouth of the river, aud
later on some Indians, whose stock oil
Caucasian pelts was running quite low,
killed the garrison and sent in their re-
port.
August 10, 1888. Chicago decided to
become Incorporated, as twenty eight
people had arrived there since the massa-
ere of 1872, and, after Incorporating, the
entire population decided to hold the
worlds fair there in 1892. Chicago was
then getting one mail per week via Niles,
Mich, Now Niles is glad to get most Of
her mail from Chicago.
The first newspaper was issued by John
Calhoun November &c, 1888. This was
rapidly followed by another copy OF the
same, which appeared December 3. Some
Of the old subscribers and advertisers are
still alive and point to themselves with
pride.
1t was at about this time that S. was
paid, or were paid rather, perhaps as a
lawyers bill by the new city. Since that
prices have advanced. however, and now
Chicago pays more than that to lawyers
every week. Hon. j. D. Cation was paid
for legal services for 1884 S75. This
sum, together with what he got for his
muskrat skins, kept him in GOOD style.
IL was hbbhN lhlS llult lIul a lhIEt bldCh
bear was killed in front of the Board of
Trade building, and William Brouse saw
a large gray wolf run by his house on
Michigan avenue.
Within half a century how all this has
changed. The little paper which then
briefly announced the death by massacre
of its choicest subscribers or ~ioyfully re.
terred to the arrival of the mail from
Niles for the current week, has given
place to mammoth and handsome journals
representing every party and every in
dustry. Where old Chief Polkadott
dressed like a dish of salad, viz, with
oil, addressed the multitude, now such
men as James Russell Lowell speak
briefly on some occult subject like Shakes
peare n regret aftOrward hat they did
not speak on the subject they agreed to
speak on.
Where once Looloo, daughter of the
chintz bug that cleans out-the. cornfield.
was wont to deck herself out in the coon
skin shoulder cape and burlap leggins of
a crude civilization, now beauty in Pa
risian gowns and the rich gear of Mr..
Worth, dazzles the eye Of the savant
and proves that half a century in the
history of a typical American city means
a good deal.
Chicago does not pity herself. She
does not feel sorry for herself. She ac-
cepts her humble lot, pays her park tax
on II and goes on about her business.
She has been burned out once and, like
Boston, made a big hit by it. So the
kerosene lamp of Mrs. McGinty, or what
ever her name may have been, was the