Chicago

Scope Note: Coordinates: Lat: 41 51 00 N degrees minutes Lat: 41.8500 decimal degrees Long: 087 39 00 W degrees minutes Long: -87.6500 decimal degrees

Note: Located on post-glacial plain beside Lake Michigan, noted for extremes in climate. Site was visited by the French in the 17th century; it was a fur-trading post, then an Army post. It expanded greatly in the 19th century due to its strategic position; was a center of transportation and industry. Much of the city was destroyed by fire in 1871, and rebuilt. It is noted as the birthplace of an important architectural development, the steel-frame skyscraper.

Found in 27 Collections and/or Records: