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Calumet Region
The Calumet region is the area drained by the Calumet River system and is the site of Lake Calumet, Wolf Lake, and Lake George in Indiana. The Calumet watershed includes the southeastern portion of the city of Chicago, some southern suburbs, and also portions of northwest Indiana. It is a place where natural features attracted economic development which in turn changed the environment in ways that can never be reversed. The interaction of man and nature in the region changed both forever.
The story of the Calumet region is a story that illustrates major themes of American urban history. One of the themes is diversity but diversity of two types. The first is ecological diversity and the ongoing interaction between man and nature. The area also reflects ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity that resulted as many immigrant groups poured into the region in search of the jobs provided by the many industries in the area.
When the Ice Age ended, the waters of Lake Chicago, the predecessor to Lake Michigan, covered the Calumet region. Over thousands of years the lake receded and the landscape of the region emerged. Marshes, prairies, beaches, ponds, small lakes, and wandering shallow rivers remained. An abundance of plant and animal life thrived.
Native Americans
The area was originally a frontier region where hunting, trapping, and fishing were the main activities. Native Americans, and subsequently Europeans and Americans, engaged in these pursuits initially as a means of survival and later as a form of recreation. Before Europeans ever came to the area, Native Americans traveled through the Calumet region using countless trails that ran along the Lake Michigan shoreline and along the many beach ridges that existed. Area trails including branches of the Sauk Trail and Vincennes Trace. One branch of the Sauk Trail followed Gostlin Street in Hammond and Brainard Avenue in Hegewisch, then turning north at Carondolet Avenue. This trail was later known as the Chittendon Trail and also as Indian Ridge. It is believed that a Native American village was once located near this trail in the vicinity of 116th and Torrence Avenue. Another major trail followed the Lake Michigan shoreline and crossed the Calumet River at the place where the 92nd Street Bridge crosses the river at present. By the time that the first Europeans came to the area, the Native American Trails were well known and well defined, so explorers, hunters, traders and others used them. The trails were the predecessors of streets, railroad right of ways, highways, and expressways. Most diagonal streets in the Chicago that run contrary to the street grid system are former Native American trails. Indianapolis Boulevard and the Chicago Skyway, South Chicago Avenue, and Brainard Avenue all are local examples. Native Americans also traveled by canoe on local rivers and used portages in the region. They settled the region in villages of various sizes and in temporary campsites associated with seasonal migrations. There were a few villages, a large one at 79th and the shore of Lake Michigan and another near 134th Street and Wolf Lake as well as smaller, often temporary, villages scattered throughout the area.
Links:
http://www.adena.com/adena/scharf/
Includes sections on Calumet Marshes, Cheltenham, Hegewisch and Michigan City Road.
http://www.neiu.edu/~reseller/ehpg3erlyyrs.htm
Includes a map with early trails and roads in the Calumet region
Rivers and Canals
When South Chicago began in 1836 it was the era of canal building. The original South Chicago speculator, Lewis Benton, bought land along the Calumet River and built the Calumet House, a stagecoach stop, and the Eagle Hotel in what was then called The City of Calumet. He did this in hopes that a canal connecting the Saint Lawrence River and Great Lakes water system with the Mississippi River System would be built in the Calumet Region. It was, but not until the 1920's when the Cal Sag Channel was completed. The construction of the Illinois Michigan Canal (1836-1948) and the Depression of 1837 temporarily postponed Calumet area development. The Calumet region lay dormant until the railroads arrived in the area.
Early industrial development in the region occurred after the Civil War and was concentrated around the Calumet River, "Chicago’s other River". The river’s connection to Lake Michigan and its potential to transport the heavy bulk materials needed in the making of steel was the focal point of industrial development in the region. However, before development could take place, numerous changes would have to be made in the shallow, meandering prairie river. At the mouth of the Calumet River there was a large sand bar (similar to the sand bar originally located at the mouth of the Chicago River) that created a bend in the river just before it emptied into Lake Michigan. The Calumet River would have to be widened, deepened, straightened, and a channel would have to be cut through the sand bar before the river could be used profitably.
Railroads
 The natural landscape of the Calumet region would be greatly altered by the coming of industry. The earliest changes would occur as the first railroads were built to pass through the area on their way to Chicago. The railroads were built on Native American trails that followed the sand ridges that separated various marshes and wetlands. More and more railroads laid their tracks through the area and created the foundation for a post Civil War boom that would draw industry and people to the region.
- 1848 - the first railroad, the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad (later the New York Central), passed through the East Side, South Chicago, and Englewood on its way to downtown Chicago. Its right of way followed the route of the current Chicago Skyway. The Pittsburgh and Fort Wayne Railroad (later the Pennsylvania) and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad were later built following the same right of way.
- 1857 - a train station was opened in what later became South Chicago and the City of Calumet was renamed Ainsworth, the name of the railroad station.
- 1873 - the Colehour train station was opened at 100th Street and Ewing Avenue in what later became the East Side.
- 1883 - Illinois Central began operating from South Chicago to downtown Chicago.
Hegewisch was the last of the four Southeast Side communities to develop because of its location between the railroads that ran along the lakefront and those to the west Illinois Central and Michigan Central) near Lake Calumet. In the 1880's the Chicago and Western Indiana, and Pennsylvania railroads finally arrived and the development of Hegewisch began.
Industrial Development
The story of Chicago’s Calumet region is the story of steel. At one point the region was one of the largest steel producing regions in the world. Heavy industry, especially steel mills, came to the area after the Civil War drawn by natural features compatible with their business. There was cheap land and plenty of it - land that would be used for factories, bulk storage, and disposal. Fresh water was present - water for cooling necessary in the manufacturing process and water for transportation. Railroads had already crossed the area and linked the area to other regions of the country. There was an available supply of labor and space for housing more workers. The region was far enough from Chicago to minimize the negative features of heavy industry on the city and yet close enough to take advantage of the markets of the Chicago metropolitan region.
- 1869 - The Calumet and Chicago Canal and Dock Company was founded by James H. Bowen and other investors
- 1873- South Chicago was made a port of entry
- 1875 - Opening of the Joseph H. Brown Iron and Steel Company rolling mill (later Wisconsin Steel) at 109th and the Calumet River
- 1880 - North Chicago Rolling Mill (later United State Steel) opened a steel mill at the mouth of the Calumet River
- 1883 - Grand Crossing Tack Company (later Republic Steel) founded at 79th and South Chicago Avenue, moved to the East Side in 1902
- 1883 - A. Hegewisch opened U. S. Rolling Stock Company in Hegewisch to build railroad cars
- 1905 - By Product Coke Corporation (later Interlake Steel then Acme Steel) opened a coke plant on Torrence Avenue in South Deering
Links:
http://www.neiu.edu/~reseller/ehindstrymap.htm
Map of industrial development along the Calumet River with links to histories of area industries
http://www.neiu.edu/~reseller/esindwelc.htm
Links to histories of area industries
Neighborhood Development
South Chicago
The thriving economy of area steel mills brought large numbers of residents into the area. The oldest of the Southeast Side communities was South Chicago. Although it dates its beginnings to 1836, the real development of South Chicago did not occur until heavy industry came to the region after the Civil War. South Chicago was the main "port of entry" for the region. As people moved into the community seeking the jobs offered by local industry, housing was constructed to meet the demand. Most of the surrounding area in South Chicago was developed during the growth years of United States Steel South Works.
Links:
http://www.neiu.edu/~reseller/scwelcome.html
Highlights of South Chicago history
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South Deering
South Deering dates its origins from 1845 but the history of the community is tied to that of the mill built along the Calumet River near 109th Street in 1875. Both the mill and the community were initially known as Brown’s Mill. Later the community came to be called Irondale although this was never the official name of the community. In 1882 the name of the post office was changed to Cummings. Other industries came to the area and built near the river or along Torrence Avenue. Among them were General Mills, Chicago Steel and Wire Company, and By Products Coke Corporation. Some of the richest wetland areas in Chicago are located in South Deering.
Links:
http://www.neiu.edu/~reseller/sdwelcome.html
Highlights of South Deering history
East Side
The East Side began in 1851 and derives its name from the fact that it located on the east side of the Calumet River. The East Side came into being in 1851 when a Potawatomi woman named Togah sold a section of land near present day Calumet Park to George W. Ewing. One of the early names used for the area was the "Island’ because of its location between Lake Michigan, the Calumet River and Wolf Lake on the south. Like the other communities on the Southeast Side, it did not develop in earnest until industrialization began after the Civil War.
Links:
http://www.neiu.edu/~reseller/esstwelcome.html
Highlights of East Side history
Hegewisch
Hegewisch is the youngest of the four Southeast Side communities. A. Hegewisch, the head of U. S. Rolling Stock Company, founded it in 1883. Hegewisch wanted to develop a town loosely patterned on the nearby town of Pullman. The plan was to build a factory to construct railroad cars and to sell land for houses in the vicinity of the plant. Hegewisch was also geographically isolated from the other three Southeast Side communities by Hyde Lake and wetland areas. Prior to this transportation link, the community had stronger ties to Hammond, Indiana than to Chicago.
Links:
http://www.neiu.edu/~reseller/hgwelcome.html
Highlights of Hegewisch history
Cultural Diversity
The Calumet region grew as newcomers were drawn to the area by the numerous jobs available in heavy industry and the jobs necessary to support the growing population of the area. The immigration patterns in the area mirrored those of the country as a whole. The Northern and Western European English, Welsh, and Scotch were followed by Irish, Germans, and Swedes. They in turn were followed by Southern and Eastern Europeans in the latter part of the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries. Polish, Lithuanians, Slovenians, Slovaks, Croatians, Serbians, Italians, Greeks, Hungarians, Eastern European Jews and others became Southeast Siders. During and after World War I, with the decline in European immigration and the immigration quotas of the 1920's, African Americans and Mexicans began to enter the area. In recent years Puerto Ricans, Arabs, Haitians, Ethiopians, and others have joined these groups. Mexicans are the fastest growing group in the area at present. Nowhere are these immigration patterns more obvious than in the formation of neighborhood churches and ethnic organizations and institutions.
As the various groups arrived they brought their culture, customs, and churches. Each succeeding group added to the rich mosaic of multi-ethnic diversity that existed in the area. The groups did not always get along with one another but they learned to live and work together making this one of the most interesting and diverse communities in Chicago. The churches of the Southeast Side tell the story of ethnic succession which occurred in the community. The churches show where the groups settled in the community and the changes that have occurred in the community as it has changed.
- 1857 - St. Patrick’s Catholic parish, Southeast Chicago’s first church, was founded for Irish Catholics of the region
- 1874 - German Lutherans organized the first church on the East Side, Bethlehem Lutheran Church
- 1875 - First Church Evangelical Association, a group of German and Swedish Methodists, organized a congregation, the East Side's second church
- 1882 - Polish Catholic steelworkers established the first Polish congregation in the area, Immaculate Conception. Eventually four Polish Catholic parishes (Immaculate Conception, Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Mary Magdalene, and Saint Bronislava) were founded to served the large Polish community of South Chicago.
- 1902 - Agudath Achim-Bikur Cholim Synagogue opens to serve East European Jewish shopkeepers and steelworkers in the South Chicago community. Now the home of an Ethiopian Jewish congregation, it is the oldest continuously operating synagogue in the city.
- 1905 - Polish Catholic parish of Saint Florian opens in Hegewisch
- 1917 - Ten members of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church founded Pilgrim Baptist Church, one of the oldest African-American churches in the area.
- 1923 - Our Lady of Guadalupe, the oldest Mexican parish in Chicago, was founded in South Chicago.
The oldest Mexican Independence Day Parade in the city of Chicago has been held in South Chicago since the late 1930's. This annual event continues to be held and is a social highlight of the year for the community. In addition to the above churches and religions there were many other churches and social and ethnic organizations in the Calumet region.
Links:
http://www.neiu.edu/~reseller/cultinstcvr.htm
Histories of area churches and ethnic organizations
Changing Economy / Environmental Concerns
Although the Calumet region typifies an American success story, there were numerous problems that had to be faced by local residents. In recent years there were problems with racial and ethnic change in the communities. Many area industries have closed putting thousands of area residents out of work.
- 1980 - Wisconsin Steel closes putting 3500 employees out of work.
- 1990 - Unsuccessful attempt to build the Lake Calumet Airport.
- 1992 - United States Steel closes the South Works plant. At one time the factory employed close to 20,000 workers.
- 1995 - General Mills closes its South Deering plant.
- 2003 - LTV (formerly Republic Steel) and Acme Steel (formerly Interlake Steel) go out of business closing area facilities.
The region has faced concerns from the damage to the environment from heavy industry and a grass roots environmental movement fought the spread of landfills and industrial pollution.
Links:
http://www.neiu.edu/~reseller/ehpg19prsnt.htm
Story of the closing of area mills
http://www.neiu.edu/~reseller/ehpg18envmvmt.htm
A brief history of the environmental movement in the region
The Future
What does the future hold for the Southeast Side? Will industry redevelop the area that still retains many of the natural resources that made it so attractive to developers more than a century ago? Will economic development occur and revitalize the economy of the area? If development occurs will it be friendly to the environment and to the ecosystem of the area? Will the area return to its historical role as a popular hunting and fishing destination? Will the area become a nature preserve where environmental restoration returns the ecology of the region to a more natural setting?
There is a need for economic development and jobs but not at the expense of the environment. The region has the largest quantity of vacant land in the City of Chicago. It also has some of the best natural and wetland areas although many are in need of remediation. Some signs are positive. Solo Cup has purchased part of the vacant U. S. Steel property for expansion. Ford Motor Company has begun construction for a supplier park near its plant. Portions of former Wisconsin Steel property are available for sale. The National Park Service has proposed creating a Calumet National Heritage Area that would include the area. The City of Chicago has developed a Calumet Area Land Use Plan that sets aside certain areas for industrial use and others for recreational uses as public space. The city also has plans to build an Environmental Education Center in the area.
The dynamic between development and natural preservation continues today, as in the past. The main themes of the Calumet story continue to evolve. The natural and cultural diversity, the continued economic potential of the region, and the renewed interest in this area, along with an enlightened view of the environment, create an opportunity to use the lessons of the past to build a better future for the Calumet region.
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