Early Chicago History

Paul Petraitis shared
Chicago Map (1834) population 350.

Paul Petraitis posted
The road to Chicago was originally a beach route...in 1836 it moved inland...but regardless of what route they took everyone avoided the Calumet lakes and swamps when they could (14+ miles south of the Loop)...usually they crossed the scary mouth of the Little Calumet River at 92nd on a "chain ferry"...drawing of the original "lay of the land" by Karl Dilg from his manuscript "Archaic Chicago" rare book vault, CHS

Paul Petraitis posted

Nice collection of frame buildings near LaSalle and Randolph, 1858, Hesler photo

Dennis DeBruler It looks like the streets have yet to be raised in this area.

Paul Petraitis posted
Standing water in the Loop 1858, near LaSalle and Randolph, detail from the Hesler Panorama, CHS
Brendan Morse To me it’s interesting that back in the primitive days of Chicago they had the idea to build the sidewalk around the trees (bottom of photo next to the lamppost)Brandon McShane The sidewalks were wood, and the streets were basically mud. Presumably this was before downtown buildings were raised.Brendan Morse This whole area would’ve burned to the ground 13 years later.

Paul commented on his posting
The area near the river (Lake St) appears to have been the first to be raised...at about this time too!
[Because Google broke my search function on 4/3/2018, I can't find my posting on the raising of the street level.]

Paul Petraitis posted

Yep posted yet another view of Chicago. another variation on this mid 1840's engraving...the smoke amidst the ship masts is probably the McCormick Reaper factory on the north bank of the river near Columbus...

Paul Petraitis posted
Looking west in 1850, just before the Illinois Central RR came to town and essentially redid the lakefront from 12th St north!

Paul commented on his posting
And just 3 years later here's how that lakefront looks!

Dennis DeBruler By 1853, the Galena & Chicago Union railroad would have built their first depot on the east side of the North Branch, https://chicagology.com/prefire/prefire090/ I put a red rectangle around what I believe to be the artist's impression of that depot.

Paul Petraitis posted: Roseland, IL: "State St to Indiana Ave (200 east), 111th to 103rd street"

Chicago: A History Of Its Reputation, about the 1840s   a comment has a text download (526 pages!)