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Urbanization in Chicago
Donald Swiatkowski Indians were the first people to make their homes in the place now known as Chicago. They lived in long, low houses years before the first white explorers. The Indians used the river for many purposes including fishing and transportation. The first white explorers were Frenchmen Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette. Henri de Tonti and Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle later explored the Mississippi River. They went in canoes to the river the Indians called "Checagou," meaning great or strong and sometimes "wild onion." Later the name was changed to "Chicago," spelled as we know it today. Even though the land was very low and wet, La Salle predicted a great city would one day locate there. The first settler arrived about 1779; Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable an African with French ancestors, built a house, raised cattle, and traded with Indians. He eventually became wealthy. In 1830 James Thompson made a plan of the town and streets were named. Lots were sold. By 1835 the Indians moved west, people were no longer afraid of settling there, and more people came to Chicago looking for cheap land and jobs. Chicago quickly grew. Chicago's growth was influenced by both a railroad and a river. Before the invention of the train, the Chicago River was used mainly for transportation. As Chicago grew, better and faster transportation was needed for people going places outside the city. In 1848 the first Chicago railroad, the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad engine, called the Pioneer, came into use. It was started by William B. Ogden, the first mayor of Chicago. The Pioneer was the beginning of Chicago's great railroads. During the Great Depression, major construction halted. But in 1933 Chicago was host of the Century of Progress Exposition. Later, building resumed. Over the years Chicago has been a major producer of the following products: steel goods, machinery, fabricated metals, machine tools, railroad equipment, cans, surgical appliances, cosmetics, sporting goods, confectionery products, paint, and soap. Chicago is still growing, and along with its population expansion comes building expansion. Chicago has a population of 2,783,726 people (1990 Census). Many counties and villages have grown around Chicago.—[From Robert Cromie, A Short History of Chicago; Arthur Hillman and Robert J. Casey, Tomorrow's Chicago; Herman Kogan and Lloyd Wendt, Chicago: A Pictorial History; Muriel Stanek, Chicago — The City and Its People; Muriel Stanek, A Short History of Chicago.]
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