My name is John R. Schmidt. I’m a fifth-generation Chicagoan. I grew up without any siblings, but I did have two grandparents in the house. They were always telling me stories about the city of the past. Later, when I started going to parties, it became natural for me to seek out the oldest person in the room, to hear his (or her) tales.
Funny thing—lately, I’ve noticed that when I go to parties, I’m often the oldest person in the room. And so, rather than wait for some eager young grasshopper to come looking for me in search of wisdom, I’ve decided to launch this blog.
Besides having lived through a sizeable chunk of history, I am also a professional historian. I earned a Ph.D. in History at the University of Chicago. I’ve written six books, parts of seven others, and about 500 articles.
So what’s going to go up here? Let it be a surprise. It could be the story of a major event that affected the course of history. Or it may be an obscure vignette from the past that illustrates how things have changed—or how they have remained the same. In any event, I hope that I can start your day with a smile.
I love talking about my city (and that includes the suburbs, too—let’s leave political boundaries to the politicians). And as a teacher for thirty-some years, I love answering questions. So email me at docjake300@hotmail.com Or better still, just leave a comment right here on the blog.
–JRS
Chicago History Today 
John–I looked forward to your blogs on the WBEZ site and hope to continue though your own site here. I’m an avid Chicago history buff. Born & raised on the southwest side of Chicago, I’m a product of the CPS system and, if I may say so, didn’t come out too bad. Graduated H.S., spent 2 years in the U.S. Navy, 1 year at the U of I and 34 years at Illinois Bell/Ameritech/SBC/AT&T. Among many of those that I looked up to was a teacher like you–Quinn Brisben was an inspiration to me in those early teenage years and helped guide my thinking on issues that were very much in the forefront then.
Thanks for the kind words. The blog will continue, though on a more limited schedule.
–JRS
You’re younger than I had pictured you to be. I too have enjoyed your Chicago history posts on the WBEZ blog site. I look forward to reading your posts on this site now.
Maureen–
Thanks for reading. I’m 65 years old. The picture was taken two years ago, so I assume I look two years older now.
–JRS
Looking forward to reading you a lot here even if you aren’t able to post as often as I would be used to.
Thanks!
–JRS
John, Thanks for the blog. We recently had to move to the Bay Area in California for work and I miss Chicago. This keeps me in touch.
Best of luck in the new home!
–JRS
I look forward to reading your blog. I read it everyday at lunch. I’ve been following you on ChicagoNow and Wbez. I will follow you on here as well.
Thanks!
–JRS
Hello, love the history blog entries, pictuers, films. FYI, Mt Carmel cemetary is in Hillside, not Hinsdale. I used to go for walks on my lunch hour sometimes in that cemetary, and I’ve seen Al Capone’s grave, which is somewhat secluded. Thanks.
Thanks! That was a typo–I’ll correct it.
–JRS
Writing about Clarence Wagner, who I never heard reminded me of Charlie Weber of the old 45th Ward. He gave out free Riverview tickets every year [it was in his ward] & then died at home, in bed with his wife, from CO poisoning.
Was it an accident, did he left his car running in an attached garage or was he whacked by the Outfit?
I also got free Riverview tickets from Charlie. He died on August 16, 1960. I’ll have a post up about him sometime next month.
Thanks, I’ll be watching for it.
I remember Riverview; coming from a small town in Missouri to Chicago in 1956, my first time there was overwhelming…many visits later, however, I was a “old-timer”, but never tired of the experience. Went to the site after it was closed; wondered how all that entertainment was on such (to me, at least) such a small piece of land.
I attended John Marshall High when we brought home the first State Championship in basketball to Chicago….what a thrill!
Enjoy your blog post immensely. Chicagoan from 1956 – 1985 when I was forced to move because of the climate. Miss it, miss it!
Thanks for the memories. Keep up the good work.
Hello John,
I’ve been an admirer of your stories for some time now and have been enjoying your blog since the recent start. I’m a seventh generation Chicagoan and have had a deep love for the history of this city ever since my father told me about my great-great grandfather, Chicago Fire Marshal James Horan. Learning about my family tree and the history of the city was incredible. I continue to seek out stories and photos, like the ones you post, to feed my interest. So keep up the good work and I’ll certainly be reading!
Donald
Thanks!
–JRS
Hi John,
LOVE the blog, the stories and the pictures a plenty. The before and after shots are fascinating. My favorite Chicago history moments are photos of the old snowstorms and the building of the expressways/tollways. But all of it is great. I even love the blog about the streetlights (harp light to mercury vapor to sodium vapor to today).
Thank you!
You’re welcome.
–JRS
Hi John,
I love reading the history of Chicago. I was born and raised in Chicago. My mom talks about the BOB ride at riverview when she was a kid. When I went to Lane Tech as a teenager it brought back all those memories for her. Ever since then I was intrigued with Chicago history.
I appreciate your blog and all you have to offer. Thanks and keep up the work.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for the message.
–JRS
Yeah! The BOBS!!!
lost my lunch after riding that thing….lol
John, we e-mailed a few years back and I am hooked on you blogs. The problem is I remember most of them after 1950. When I was raised in Chgo
I took and active interest in it’s history and peoples. Now that I live in Hawaii
I would trade in an instant to relive the fond memories of summer on the lakefront, winter at O’Hare trying to open a car door after 4 inches from an
ice storm or crossing State Street stepping into 10″ of icy slush over the tops of you golashes.
Chicagoans really know how to live. They had to in order to survive.
Now the question, In the 70’s, on Monday nights, North side about Fullerton
and Lincoln there was an informal, brass, 16+ member jazz group that got together. I went there for 2+ years until I moved. Because Mondays was dark at many clubs, the regular guys could just get together for the fun of it. When they started up it was like a rocket going off. Windows vibrated and
drinks actually walked across the tables. Any idea if they still meet and where. We have a little time, I will be back next winter for a month for the thrill seeing your breath and cleaning the ice for the windshield. Thanks,
JIM
Have you ever heard of a photography studio here in Chicago called “Garbo”? I saw some pictures with the their name on them in the corner of the photo and I can’t fin any info on them.
Thanks,
Ralph
The only one I know is the wedding photographer–Garbo Productions–in Roscoe Village.
–JRS
Thanks JRS.
We are coming up on the 30 year anniversary of the coldest day here in Chicago, Jan. 20, 1985 27 below zero! Burrrrr! We had some wicked cold weather back in January of 1982,83,84, and 1985! Christmas Eve, 1983 it was 23 below zero. I can’t forget that day ever. I was jump starting cars all day into the night. My truck ran while my car wouldn’t start.
Check back here next Tuesday.
–JRS
I found this on CBS Chicago news, some of the coldest days in Chicago history.
Date Temperature
Jan. 20, 1985 27 below zero
Jan 10, 1982 26 below zero
Jan. 16, 1982 25 below zero
Dec. 24, 1983 25 below zero
Dec. 24, 1872 23 below zero
Jan. 17, 1982 23 below zero
Jan. 19, 1985 23 below zero
Jan. 21, 1984 22 below zero
Dec 22, 1872 21 below zero
Feb. 9, 1899 21 below zero
Dec. 23, 1983 21 below zero
Jan. 18, 1994 21 below zero
Jan. 9, 1875 20 below zero
Jan. 25, 1897 20 below zero
Jan. 20, 1984 20 below zero
Today is a walk in the park compared to 30 years ago! It was 50 plus degrees colder than it is today!
Thanks for reading my story about the Rosary and my trip for Sister Mary Philip. I hope you get a chance to look at some of my past year’s postings, about working at the O’Hare Inn, growing up in the Byrne Building, living on the South Side, Saint Justin Martyr (now St Benedict the African), my paper route for the Herald American. Thanks again. I do look forward to your postings.
What are some good books about the building and real estate industries in Chicago? There are many books on famous Chicago buildings and architects, but what about the sorts of issues you find in the real estate pages of today’s newspaper, e.g. expansion of neighborhoods, zoning laws and building innovations, the cost of lots, material and labor, financing and mortgages? How did economic booms and busts affect construction & ownership, etc?
The Chicago History Museum has a great research website http://chicagohistory.org/research/resources/architecture . In the “American Contractors Magazine” I found a list of all the houses my great grandfather built from 1898 to 1912. It would be great to know why the firm Huberty & Loheinrich build so many houses around Ainslie St. in the early 1900s? What did they cost? And were there larger economic factors the caused it to declare bankruptcy in 1916?
Thanks. Bob Huberty, robert.huberty@gmail.com
Bob Huberty A book that I enjoyed reading was They Built Chicago by Miles L Berger. Of course I would not be surprised if it is already part of your collection. In our history books the architects receive the accolades so this book delves into the key roles that the developers played in shaping our skyline and several neighborhoods. For instance the developers knew how to structure “vault companies” as a mechanism (loophole) for maneuvering around the limitations placed on REIT.The book describes the expansion of a few neighborhoods along with prices of lots, etc.
The Archdiocese of Chicago, A journey of faith is a wonderful book that details the construction and history of parishes in our city. Their are photographs that accompany a brief history of every parish.
John-
Love the blog. I am a long-time Northsider Grew up in Belmont-Cragin, moved to Jefferson, and settled in Edison Park. The pics of the intersections that I have driven through for so long are my favorite. So glad I came upon this blog. Reading about our interesting city definitely makes my day. Appreciate it!
Thanks for the kind words!
–JRS
I enjoy your posts and recently saw this Then & Now article about Norway which I thought you might enjoy.
Norway Then and Now: Tilbakeblikk
ALAN TAYLOR for The Atlantic
“Tilbakeblikk” is the name of a joint project between the Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute and Norsk Folkemuseum. Tilbakeblikk means “retrospect” or “looking back” in Norwegian, describing the project’s use of photographs taken of the same places separated by long periods of time to illustrate landscape changes in Norway. The images below (starting with photo number two) are interactive—click on each image to see the difference the decades can make.
http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/11/norway-then-and-now-tilbakeblikk/413710/#
Donna Primas
John,
Thank you for your valuable insight and efforts. I really appreciate you!
Best, Rich London
Very, very interesting material — thank you for the illustrations and history. I would like to point out one error, however. In your coverage of 103rd/Eggleson — while the Fernwood C&WI station is no longer there, Amtrak passenger trains do pass thru this intersection twice each day (northbound AM/southbound PM). Indeed, I have traveled thru this grade crossing myself. Passenger trains have (almost) continuously operated thru this grade crossing for over one hundred-plus years. The only exceptions were circa May 1, 1971-approx 1973 and again circa Sept 1979-1990.
Again, thank you for your most interesting blog.
Wm Shapotkin
Thanks for the correction!
–JRS
Dr. Schmidt,
In a reply to a post on the Edgewater Beach Hotel, you mentioned that you were there for a college dance and also that you had a friend who lived there when it was a dorm. I am with the Edgewater Historical Society and we would love to hear from him or her about his or her experiences living in this “special dorm.” We are planning on developing an exhibit on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the hotel opening. Visit our website to learn more about the hotel: http://www.EdgewaterHistory.org.
Sincerely,
LeRoy Blommaert
My friend was a Nursing student, whose maiden name was Barbara Gembica. However, I lost track of her many years ago. If you haven’t already done so, I suggest you contact Loyola University. Perhaps they can put you in touch with former residents.
–JRS
For your info:
8/5 – On this day:
Friday is International Traffic Light Day!
* 1914 – The first electric traffic signal lights were installed in Cleveland, Ohio.
Didn’t you do an article on traffic lights?
Thanks JRS,
Ralph
Ralph–
August 5 is also the anniversary of the completion of the Atlantic cable, linking North America and Europe, in 1858. That’s my World History Minute on WBEZ’s “Worldview” program today.
For the previous post, type “traffic signals” in the SEARCH box and click.
–JRS
John, I’m sure you know the names of some of Hyde Park HS graduates that when on to fame and extremely good fortune. Amelia Earhart, Mel Torme, Steve Allen, and many others. My good luck was to have sat in front of Herbie Hancock in our Biology class (1953 I think). Herbie would often scoot my sax case up the isle with his foot as a good prank and laugh.
Wonderful blog, but please add a subscription plugin and sign me up.
Eric–
Thanks for reading! To subscribe to the blog, just click on the orange button next to the word “Latest.” That will take you to the page where you can subscribe. Sorry it isn’t simpler.
–JRS
What a wonderful blog, John!
I’m a photography studio owner in Lincoln Square who is becoming more and more fascinated by local Chicago history. I wasn’t born in the city, but my dad was, and though his family moved to the northwest suburbs (still a lot of farmland at that time), he had cousins that grew up in Lincoln Square that I only recently found out about. Back in 2000 I happened to migrate into the Lincoln Square neighborhood after finishing college at Northwestern. I’m beginning to take on the identity of a second generation Chicagoan and to embrace my roots more, especially as my little biz begins its second decade in this lovely community.
Having just discovered your blog on a google search for LS history, I look forward to delving into the many great stories you have here. Of course, I especially love the then and now photographs!
Warm wishes,
Jill Liebhaber
Jill-
Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog. Make sure you click in “CHICAGO’S CHANGING SCENE” to see the “Then and Now” posts you may have missed. There are over a hundred of them up by now.
–JRS
Hi John. I just discovered your blog and love how you interweave great photos along with fascinating history. I’m a life-long Chicagoan from West Garfield Park, where my dad was also raised. His parents were immigrants from Transylvania who settled in WGP in 1912 (Josef Gartz got his first decent paying job at the lunch counter of Joe Nelson’s Saloon at Crawford (Pulaski) and Madison.
I have the good fortune (or curse 😉 to have found a vast collection of family letters, diaries, photos, documents, etc.) in my parents’ home after my mom died. It’s allowed me to piece together a history of Chicago and our family throughout most of the 20th century. I started sharing my discoveries on my blog, Family Archaeologist, on the 100th anniversary of the oldest missive I found, Can Love Last 100 Years?
I started another blog, Letters of a World War II Airman, on the 70th anniversary of the day my Uncle Frank was drafted into service. I posted most of his letters about 70 years after the date they were written. As a historian, you may find the blogs of interest. I’ll be posting regularly again next month.
I find the history of our city endlessly fascinating and look forward to reading about more of your discoveries and insights. Thanks for a great blog!
(I hope the links are clickable. Sometimes the code works and sometimes it doesn’t!”
Linda, What a treasure trove you have! Thank you for sharing, I will look into your blog soon. Joyce Stacy Proce
I forgot to check the box for e-mail notice!
Hi Joyce! I’d welcome your dropping by my site and checking out the letters, diaries and photos. They’ve certainly enriched my life. I share them because I think they have something to say to everyone. Thanks so much for commenting!
Hi John,
Saw your photo of the Holiday Ballroom on Craigslist. The Holiday Ballroom along with Varda’s Drive-Inn in Jefferson Park were iconic places in our teens. Have been trying to find photos of both for years … now you have provided the Holiday picture. Is there any chance that you may have a photo or know of a source for a photo of Varda’s Drive-Inn. It was a McDonald’s type restaurant located at Milwaukee and Sunnyside. I’ve tried the Jefferson Park Historical Society with no luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Bill–
I remember Varda’s, but I don’t have any pictures. Sorry!
–JRS
Dear John, First of all, I would like to compliment you and say that I am grateful to you for having put us Chicago lovers in contact with one another As you already know, I have sent you details of my book, “Pat’s Tavern” which is a personalized history of my having grown up in Woodlawn during the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s. I am 84 years old and like the song, “Autumn Leaves,” I watch them drift by my window and imagine that they represent many of the people that I once knew. My dream is to have my book published for posterity and hopefully before my own leaf hits the ground as each day that I awake could be my last. Self-publishing is out of the question because living on Social Security is somewhat of a day to day existence. Still in the interest of spreading the word, I would like to invite those who are interested to read my book to go to the website in Tipperary, Ireland. Fethard.com/Crane where they might read it for free. That and my other book, “Green Is The Valley, Blue Are The Hills..” Also read, “The Kid From Woodllawn as written in The University of Chicago Maroon by typing the title in their search engine.
May God Bless One And All, Tom Crane
Good afternoon,
I am so glad I stumbled onto your blog! I am searching for pictures of the Inglewood neighborhood, specifically the corner of W. 69th St. and Hermitage Ave. from the 1940’s. My grandfather was born and raised here through the 30’s and 40’s before settling in San Jose, CA with my grandmother in 1950, when they were married. I was really disappointed to see his house had been demolished and there are no known pictures of it in our family.
I did find the property on a city run auction site and it is being sold as a vacant lot.
He had many great stories of growing up in the city and loved architecture, even considering design as a career before joining the navy.
If you could direct me to a site or some resources, maybe even you know of this lot, so I can find a picture I can save I would really appreciate it.
The Chicago History Museum has the largest collection of city photos, which they sell. You might want to try the “Forgotten Chicago” website. They have a forum where people trade stories about their old neighborhoods: perhaps someone there will have a picture, or know where you can get one. I did run a “Then and Now” post on Ashland-70th on this blog, but that’s as close as I got to Hermitage-69th.
–JRS
I grew up in the Belmont-Cragin area. Attended St. Stanislaus B+M then on to Weber H.S. (Class of ’65) One of my first jobs was at Rudzinski’s Pharmacy at Fullerton & Lockwood which later became Adams-Woods. Was discussing the old neighborhood with a friend the other day trying to remember the name of a small hamburger joint on Fullerton a few doors West of Long Ave. on the North side of the street. Across from Hanson Park elementary School. Quite the “hangout” back then. Any idea?
John
I am looking for information on the area around 15th and Paulina. Two businesses interest me, Oetting Ice & Coal and the Bungalow Inn tavern, both on 15th street. Do you have any information/pictures on these?
Thanks
Bill Oetting
Bill–
I’m sorry, but I don’t have any pictures or info on those businesses. Try the “What Was There” website for Chicago. http://www.whatwasthere.com/browse.aspx#!/ll/41.8824615478516,-87.7110214233398/zoom/17/
Good luck!
–JRS
John, My parents lived in south chicago when I was conceived in 1956. I am hoping to find photos of that time period in their area. I thank you for blogging old photos. It helps me see them at this time.
Do you have any photos of Stony Island Boulevard from the early 20th century? My great-grandfather had a men’s clothing store on Stony Island until around 1940. My family lived in the Beverly area on the South Side of Chicago from the late 1800’s until the mid-1930’s.
If you can give me an approximate address, I’ll see if I have any.
–JRS
I searching for information on my great grandfather’s dry goods store at 323 _________ Chicago in the late 1800-1920s. I have a photo with his name above the door
John A. Schmidt
Your best bet is to look for John A. Schmidt in a Chicago City Directory from that period. Many of them are available online for free. Chicago address numbers were changed around 1911, so you’d have to know the approximate year of that photo, to know whether that “323” was in the old address system or the current one. Try the link below. Best of luck, “Cousin!”
–JRS
https://chicagogenealogy.com/find-chicago-city-directories.html
You might also want to search the Chicago Tribune digital archives available through the Chicago Public Library.
On the home page, go to the center column (On Line Research) and click on “A-Z Research Databases,” You will get a row of Letters. Click on “C”. When the list of “C”s appears, click on “Chicago Tribune Historical Archive.” [You can come back to use the current database later.] When you do that, you will be asked to enter your library card and zip code. Once you enter both items of information, you will be able to proceed. Click on “advanced search” at the top of the page. The default method of sort is “relevance.” Change that to “oldest first.” Now you are in a position to use the search feature. Enter the number and street for your building, e.g. “1258 Glenlake”; below it change the AND to OR and then enter the same information again except add the street direction, e.g “1258 W. Glenlake”. Doing this will enable the search engine to pick up both ways of referencing the address.
You may get nothing from the search. On the other hand, you may find out some interesting things that happened at the address or else happened to someone who lived at the address. Frequently, obituaries list the home address of the deceased. In addition to the current address, you might also want to enter the old street number and street name, if your building had an old number or was on street that changed its name. And, of course, you can enter the name of the owner too as a separate search.
Thanks for the detailed information—this is a new one on me. But it seems that all Naomi has is the address number from the photo, not the name of the street.
–JRS
I have been loving looking at all the pictures of Chicago. I grew up in Brighton Park. I have been trying to find pictures of the corner of 35th and California Ave. We lived in a house on 35th street behind Minaters Tavern until 1964-1965. The house was built in the earlier part of the century. I was told is was an old “mansion” it had 5 bedrooms upstairs which my mother rented out boarding house style. I remember the woodwork on the stair case and the general layout. I have tried to find pictures of that house earlier than 1965, but have failed. Do you have any pictures of that corner from earlier than 65? Would love to see them. The razed the whole corner after 65 to build a gas station, not sure what is there now.
I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t have any photos of 35th and California. You’ll have to try the Chicago History Museum, or perhaps a neighborhood historical society. Good luck!
–JRS
Hello John, Many thanks for the information you provide with your blog. I follow it with an RSS feed and often send new entries to a friend. Have you considered adding an email subscription option ? It may help your readers avoid missing posts. https://wordpress.com/support/subscriptions-and-newsletters/ Thanks again !
Hi Victor–
Thanks for reading, and thanks for the link. I’ll look into it.
–JRS
John, I just found out about your interesting blog. Lots of good stuff here – keep up the good work! I recently wrote a book about the history of manufacturing in Chicago that you and your readers may be interested in. It’s called “Made in Chicago: The Windy City’s Manufacturing Heritage.” Here’s a link that provides more details:
https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467103077
Austin
Hi I have just recently started reading your blog and was reading this newspaper, very interesting reading there. I was wondering if you know any recent history on the Skrudland Photo Service. The reason I ask is because a short time ago I came across an old ( 1959 ) mail order price list. In very good shape and was wondering if u can tell me anything about it?
Thanks for your email. I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything more to add about Skrudland’s than was on my post a few years ago. You might want to try contacting some of the readers who posted comments then.
–JRS
Thanks for this space. My daughter (in Georgia) sent this to me. I am 86 and my memory is “blurry” at times. My first home was on Trip Ave and at 3 yrs old the family moved to N. Lind Ave off of Foster Ave. Loved my “trips” downtown with my Mother and sister and going to the ” Commonwealth electric co.” to see my Dad.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog. You might particularly like the “Then and Now” posts. Stay healthy!
–JRS
This blog is a treasure trove, and you, sir, are an absolute wealth of information for anyone interested in knowing more about this iconic American city “Chicago”!
Thank you. It’s fun doing it.
–JRS
Do you have anymore information about the Avondale or Logan Square areas? I’m 21 and I’ve been interested in how things have changed throughout the many years since we’ve had communities in the areas. I think that it’s fascinating to see these changes that I have never seen. And I wish to start a blog sometime in the near future, which I can share photos and give comments about how our city keeps on developing.
Arcadia has a book in its “Images of America” series titled AVONDALE AND CHICAGO’S POLISH VILLAGE, and has a another book called LOGAN SQUARE. For Logan Square photos on this blog, scroll back to Dec 2022 for “Then and Now, Sawyer-Wrightwood,” click on the “Logan Square” tag, and all the previous Logan Square posts will pop up. Same procedure for Avondale—just scroll back to Nov 2022 and “Milwaukee-Dawson.”
–JRS