Unknown Chicago Tales

by John R. Schmidt

Overview

Chicago's most famous stories tend to crowd out the competition and shout down alternate perspectives. Visit with the man who founded a 150-year-long Chicago political dynasty. Take a peek at some of the lesser-known Chicago film classics. Review Professor Moriarty's Chicago caper and Annie Oakley's cocaine case. Uncover the lengths to which Chicago's long-celebrated Mr. Pioneer Settler went to keep a slave. Discover why the Kennedy curves at Division Street and why the county jail saved a gallows for fifty years. From Death Valley Scotty's wild ride to the bowling ball that went around the world, John Schmidt provides a parade of Chicago originals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439672365
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	04/26/2021
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

John R. Schmidt is a fifth-generation Chicagoan. He earned his PhD in history at the University of Chicago and has taught at all levels, from kindergarten through college, including more than thirty years in the Chicago Public School System. He has published nearly four hundred articles in magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias and anthologies. This is his sixth book.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction 11

1 Chicago BF (Before the Fire)

Father of Chicago 13

Billy Caldwell the Man 15

A Slave in Chicago 17

A Murder Most Foul 19

The Celebrity 21

Opera House Lottery 23

2 Builders and Characters

Chicago's Saint 26

The Life and Death of Nails Morton 28

Mighty Milton Sills 30

The Aviator 32

One-Eye Connelly 35

Architect of the Good Life 37

The Constant Candidate 39

Miss Frances 41

Mile-A-Minute Harry 43

Joseph Medill's Last Words 45

3 Politics and Politics

Who Was Dan Ryan? 48

Blond Boss Billy 50

The Rosemont Corridor 52

The First Cullerton 54

Why the Kennedy Curves at Division Street 56

Starring Martin Kennelly 58

The Sullivan of Sullivan High School 61

A Tale of Two Kellys 63

A Tale of Two Tombs 65

Bathhouse John 67

4 Sports and Sportsmen

Cap Anson 70

Man of Steel 72

Chicago's Forgotten Baseball Team 74

A Whining Chicago Athlete 76

Bowler of the Half-Century 77

Chicago's Forgotten Football Team 80

Godfather of Big-Bucks Golf 82

Going Stagg 84

Chicago's Forgotten Basketball Teams 86

5 The Chicago Way

Where Have You Gone, Terrible Tommy? 89

Gross Cyrano 91

A Different Saint Valentine's Day Story 93

An Editor's Scoop 95

The Short, Unhappy Life of Algren Street 97

The Bowling Ball That Went Around the World 100

Bertillonage in Chicago 102

Waiters' Revenge? 104

Sic Transit Gloria Hinky Dink 107

6 Forgotten Chicago Movies

In Old Chicago (1937) 110

City That Never Sleeps (1953) 112

Al Capone (1959) 114

Gaily, Gaily (1969) 115

Cooley High (1975) 117

Continental Divide (1981) 119

7 The Passing Parade

Professor Moriarty Comes to Chicago 122

Kiss of Fire 124

The Original Walking Man 126

The Other Chicago Fire 128

The Annie Oakley Cocaine Case 130

Judy's Jolly Jaunt 132

The Chicago Grand Prix of 1895 134

Death Valley Scotty's Wild Ride 136

World's Parliament of Religions 138

About the Author 141