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| J. Bartholomew Photo |
July 4, 1902 – 10,000 people gather in Independence Square at Douglas Park and Garfield Boulevard as Illinois Governor Richard Yates unveils a great fountain as a band plays, Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean and 700 school children sing along. In his speech the governor says, “You may go around the world, and into every port, and you will find no flag so dear to the seekers for freedom as the stars and stripes that wave over there. It represents an unequaled, a sublime, and unprecedented citizenship.” [Chicago Daily Tribune, July 5, 1902] The sculpture by Charles J. Mulligan stands on top of a 15-foot base in the shape of the Liberty Bell. The children in the sculpture hold Roman candles that once served as fountainheads. They also carry a flag, bugle and drum in the celebration of an old-fashioned Fourth of July. Today the fountain basin is dry, surrounded by a ten-foot high fence as the above photo shows.
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| flickr.com |
July 4, 1891 – The flag at Fort Sheridan is raised for the first time on its new flagstaff at 9:30 a.m. The Fifteenth Infantry is called out in full dress parade at 9:00 a.m., forming up on the road between the main entrance to the fort and the guardhouse, opposite to and facing the flagstaff. Edith Crofton, the youngest daughter of the post’s commandant, Colonel R. E. A. Crofton, is given the honor of raising the flag. The Chicago Daily Tribune reports, “It was no light task for a young woman to hoist a large flag to the top of a staff 210 feet high. Nevertheless she bravely tugged at the rope and the flag slowly but surely ascended.” [Chicago Daily Tribune, July 5, 1891]. As the flag reached the top, the assembled soldiers presented arms, and as spectators applauded, the post’s musicians played “The Star Spangled Banner.”
July 4, 1883 – A reporter for the Chicago Daily Tribune sets out for a stroll through the Lake-Front park, today’s Grant Park, as “a deliciously cool breeze fanned his perspiring brow.” [Chicago Daily Tribune, July 4, 1883] He discovers that nearly every bench had one or two occupants, concluding that “as a tramps’ paradise the park was an eminent success. Deep, raspy snores, indicative of a tranquil slumber, floated up from various quarters of the park, and here and there could be dimly seen a recumbent figure, flat on its back, its arms and legs ungracefully distributed about it, a coat serving as a pillow and darkness as a cove.” Encountering a police officer on his way out of the park, the reporter asks if the situation is normal and if anything is being done about it. “Yes, sometimes we pull ‘em in,” responds the officer. “but not often. It’s only when they’re drunk and come down here disturbing the quiet sleepers. They’re not all bums that sleeps here. Some of ‘em are pretty well-to-do, but put on their old clothes, leave their valuables at home, and come down here to sleep. It’s cooler, you know, than sleeping in a close room. Come down and try it some night, and I’ll see that you ain’t arrested.” The above photo shows the park as the decade comes to an end.
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1 comment:
Your detailed historical snapshots are captivating and bring the past vividly to life! I particularly enjoyed the rich descriptions of each event, making history feel both accessible and intriguing.
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