103rd & Michigan back in the day #tbt

Man I can't believe this is 103rd & Michigan as it appeared in 1940, 78 years ago. Hmm just like another old photo of 93rd & Jeffrey which is also from 78 years ago - both provided by Chicago History Today. Here's what the blogmaster there J.R. Schmidt wrote in March 2017:

In 1848 Dutch farmers established Roseland’s first permanent settlement, along what’s now the Michigan Avenue ridge.  By 1940 much of the area was built up.  However, aside from a few older homes, this particular stretch of 103rd Street remained vacant, zoned for business.  The rise in the street to the ridge is visible in the foreground.

Of course you can go to that post to see a more recent photo and it's almost like night & day. When you think about it, there is an old photo of Bennett School - which unfortunately is lost for now - that shows that school surrounded by undeveloped land. I can imagine it fits this image from 78 years ago. The above vantage point is no more than two blocks away from Prairie which is the street Bennett is located.

93rd & Jeffrey and 103rd & Michigan it's funny both photos contain a streetcar.

Capitol Fax: Let’s be careful out there #twill

Actually I wrote about this today at The Sixth Ward. You might have seen this on the news Sunday. I share this post from Capitol Fax regarding this shooting in the 15th Ward. A man doing some campaign canvassing got shot by some thugs who didn't recognize him. Rich Miller writes about this on his blog today.

Let’s be careful out there https://t.co/SN7O0nT9Pz

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) December 11, 2018

So let's all be careful out there. Campaigning or not and let's keep politics out of it. Politics already gets a bad rap especially out of Chicago no need to inject thuggish foolishness such as bullets into this.

BTW, want to see the story from ABC 7? [VIDEO]

Capitol Fax: Sun-Times begins to hold candidates’ feet to the fire #ChiMayor19

The CapFax does a quick round-up of items for the mayor's race covering the Sun-Time's report and 19 mayoral candidate's response to what they'd do about Tax Increment Financing district. Also looking at the planks of the mayoral candidates. Finally Elon Musk's hyperloop express service to O'Hare Airport.

Sun-Times begins to hold candidates’ feet to the fire https://t.co/GaKTTI5q09

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) December 10, 2018

Man wounded in Pullman shooting

[VIDEO] Above you can watch the report from CBS Chicago, however, here's a write-up from the Sun-Times:

The 27-year-old was sitting in his home about 2:20 a.m. in the 9700 block of South Ingleside Avenue when a bullet was shot through his door and struck him under his arm, Chicago police said.

He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition, according to police. No one was in custody.

#Chicagoist TV exclusive: Elderly Alderman #Ward09 #ElectCleopatra #Aldertrack #twill

[VIDEO] At this point, this video is really old news though I will share it again anyway.

Chance the Rapper is the owner of the late blog Chicagoist (operations shut down by the Ricketts family that also owned DNA Info) and this video is something of a shot across the bow. While this vid is a humorous take on Chicago politics or more specifically on Chicago's city council there is a more serious purpose to it.

As you see in the man-on-the-street portions of this 15 min video, you find out that not many people know what their alderman does. Unfortunately this isn't entirely uncommon a lot of people don't understand different aspects of the political system of this nation. And the worst part is that city government is the closest layer of government to the people.

All the same you see Chance in character as Champ Bennett the reporter on the street for Chicagoist who also speaks with 51st Ward Alderman Al Duhrman (see what they did there?) who himself is played by comedian Hannibal Buress. Duhrman I would imagine is the general stereotype people may have of a Chicago alderman - and mostly those who live outside of the city who's been observing Chicago politics.

Pay attention to those candidates running for Alderman in this one. One of those candidates is from the 9th ward named Cleopatra Watson. Most of those candidates are discussing the various barriers to entry for an upstart candidate to even start the process of running for office in Chicago.

What do you think of Chance's most recent presentation?

Chicago History Today: 103rd/Eggleston then & now #fbf

Just think how often I pass through this general area and it's fascinating how this area has changed over the years. 103rd Street and Eggleston back in 1905 about 113 years ago! This is courtesy of a photo provided by local historian J.R. Schmidt.

Here's how Schmidt described this scene from the early 20th century:

We are on 103rd Street at the railroad crossing, midway between Halsted and State. In 1905 this was the site of the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad’s Fernwood station, so various businesses had been established in the immediate vicinity. Yet traffic along the street was so light that people commonly walked down the middle.

Of course as you see there are a lot of changes to this stretch. You can go over to his post from 2015 to see how this area looks today. Just think this will be the next stop from 95th once the CTA Red Line is extended.

Oh wow, another shot of a streetcar! 

Petition filing is now over #Ward09 #ChgoMayor2019

If you want to see a list of all mayoral candidates and all aldermanic candidates a spreadsheet from The Daily Line. I would encourage you to get a subscription to The Daily Line formerly known as Aldertrack.

We start here with the 21 candidates running for mayor in addition to city clerk and treasurer


And here are the candidates for alderman in all 50 wards. And for the two wards we want to cover in 2019, here's a list of candidate for both wards 6 & 9.


Ward 9

• Anthony Beale - Incumbent Alderman
• Cleopatra R. Watson
• Marcia Brown-Williams
• Essie Hall
• Rachel Williams
• Paul Collins

Of course since we're in Chicago, the candidates for alderman and mayor will begin to thin out as campaigns go through petitions. Classic way of knocking a candidate off the ballot is to find something wrong with the petitions.


We have a huge list for mayor and for 9th ward alderman, a rather short list so who knows if they may thin out. As always we'll keep an eye out.

The City of Chicago is hiring #BuildingwithBeale #Ward09

Found through Ald. Beale's FB page and you might want to read the disclaimer regarding any political based hiring. Beyond that best of luck to you job seeked.

Did you see the pedestrian bridge over 95th?

[VIDEO] Well this is old news, but for the last week if you've been driving along 95th Street across the Dan Ryan Expressway you see a bridge over the street. It's a pedestrian bridge that will connect the new south terminal with the original north terminal.

I did a quick snapshot when I noticed the bridge and finally posted it to our IG page. I think some of the structure for the bridge was staged at the old service station at 95th & State before it was eventually put up.

Thanks to the continuing work at 95th according to WGN:

Drivers along 95th Street will notice lane reconfigurations for the next 2-3 weeks as crews work to put the glass enclosures and flooring in place. For the latest details, visit transitchicago.com/alerts.

Here's our ig post

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Sixth Ward (@thesixthward) on Nov 24, 2018 at 5:18pm PST

Oldest Chicago monument! #TBT

Illinois-Indiana Boundary Marker

 As I continue to peruse the posts of Chicago History Today to find old photographs of sites on the south side, I wanted to share this with you.

Did you know that on the south side near the lakefront is a marker noting the divide between Chicago and Indiana. Here's some history from J.R. Schmidt:

In 1833, as Chicago and the Midwest were starting to grow, Congress ordered a new survey of the boundary between Illinois and Indiana. When the survey was completed, a 15-foot high limestone obelisk was put in place on the shore of Lake Michigan, straddling the state line.

Civilization gradually engulfed the boundary marker. The shoreline was extended north by landfill. Multiple railroad lines came through. Commonwealth Edison built a huge generating plant. The South Park Commissioners laid out Calumet Park.

By the 1980s the marker was isolated and neglected among the rail yards. Allen J. Benson, a ComEd executive, convinced the company to sponsor its restoration, in conjunction with the East Side Historical Society and other interested groups. In 1988 the marker was moved 190 feet north to its present location, just outside the plant gate. A new base was added at that time.

As Schmidt states this monument is very difficult to find, however, you will have to read the rest of his post to see how to find this monument if you're interested in looking for it. Perhaps you can lobby the city to put up some signs to find this monument.

Perhaps I might document the time where I tried to find this obelisk!