chicago's hidden farms

[truedelphi]

19. I had never heard that "comet-fire" theory.

Of course, my education on most things Chicago is traced to my Chi Town school days of the sixties. But will definitely check it out.

And yes, Peshtigo WI got hammered by a much bigger and more devastating fire the same weekend that Chicago had its fire. But the media outlet city will always receive the lion's share of attention.

Forty years later, I was greatly surprised to see the same history book that us school kids had in fourth grade, only much bigger, on the shelf of a California friend. I borrowed said book. When I got to the chapter on the 1870's - I found out that Chicago at that time was a city of bordellos, brothels and had an extensive red light district. far from being the "City of churches and gardens" my grammar school had told us it was, it was rather a mini-Amsterdam.

Apparently the newspapers had the citizenry get worked up enough to descend on that neighborhood, on the near North side, and pull down the buildings that housed so much "sin and pleasure."