In 1780, a Haitian emigree named Jean Baptist Point DuSable settled on land which bordered on the Chicago River. in Illinois He was the first non-Native American to inhabit what would be Chicago.
The Native inhabitants of the region referred to the land as "Shikaawa" which means striped skunk or stinky onion. It's fitting since Chicago has a long and storied history of corruption, segregation and racism. The first reference to the present name was made by explorer Robert De Lasalle when he referred to the area as "Checagou".
Chicago was incorporated as a town in 1833 with a population of 100, then a city in 1837. It's location drew settlers from all over the globe who wanted a new life on the banks of Lake Michigan.
With the birth and growth of railroads, came scores of families eager to homestead the county of Illinois.
The first black settlers were escaped slaves, from South Carolina who settled around what is now 12th Street or Roosevelt Road.
As Chicago grew, the boundaries pushed further south. In 1853, Paul Cornell established Hyde Park Township, which stretched as far south as 79th Street.
Railroad companies were thick on the ground since Chicago was becoming a major transport hub for the livestock, goods and produce grown and slaughtered
On May 5, 1853 there was a horrible train wreck at what is now 75th and South Chicago Avenue. 18 people died and 40 were injured. The wreck was a direct result of an illegal set of railroad tracks built by a representative of the Illinois Central Rail Company across a competing railway's crossing. Although the parties responsible were not prosecuted, this tragedy resulted in better safety rules for trains.
One more positive thing came out of this horror, the area was designated "Greater Grand Crossing". It is bordered on 67th Street on the north, 79th Street on the south, Wentworth on the west and Stoney Island on the east. This is where we concentrated our house hunt.
Grand Crossing was occupied primarily with Irish, German and English railroad workers, but progress pushed Chicago's black population further south. Most of the European folks moved to the suburbs, allowing Grand Crossing to become a mecca for the upwardly mobile Black folks, police, fire and postal workers formed the majority of it's Black inhabitants.
When we got married, Hubby and I had every intention of renting until retirement, then moving to a 'deluxe apartment in the sky', but it was not to be.
I wanted to live Downtown near Michigan Avenue close to theaters, museums and attractions. Yet health concerns regarding my Mother In Law nixed that idea, we had to find a home large enough to accomodate 4 adults and our ginger cat, Chaka Zulu.
Thus began our 'House Hunt in the Hood'. The 'Hood' being the southside of Chicago. When Hubby and I started our relationship we found a 2 bed, 1 bath apartment on King Drive in Park Manor. 2nd floor walk up that was convenient to transportation and around the corner from my favorite nail salon.
No way were 4 adults and a cat going to live in that tiny space, and my Mother-In-Law's Chicago bungalow was just too darned small. So I logged onto all the real estate websites, set up accounts and started culling through all those listings.
First things first, we had to figure out how much we could spend on our future abode, yep it was terrifying. Being first-time homebuyers, we didn't have clue where to start, so I youtubed home buying and was deluged with tips, hints and nonsense.
So we took a step back and decided where we wanted to be. The southside of Chicago is huge, I knew we wanted to be east of the Dan Ryan expressway, no further north than 67th Street and no further south than 87th and no further east than Cottage Grove. Sounds simple, right. Well it didn't turn out that way.
First-time home buyers have all types of resources, simply miles and miles of information. And sorting through it was a bear.
I fancy myself a interior design maven, and I started out looking for a "Fixer upper". Hubby wasn't having it at all. He was adamant about a recently-rehabbed home that was still under warranty. He was so right and I was way wrong.
Yeah good luck with that, but we had very good luck indeed. Our present home was the 5th one we toured. Built in 1920, Casa Lee has 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a decent backyard.
There is a fireplace on the back porch/mudroom. The kitchen is rather small, but two people can cook at the same time.
I simply adore our house, but I am glad we bought it before I started watching HGTV. This house will be one hundred years old in 2020, and she has creaks, stretchmarks, and is a bitch to dust, but she is steadfast, sturdy and rather attractive in her own way. And I think she might be haunted, but that is another story for another time.
Homeownership has a whole bunch of money snatching issues, but I would not change it, unless that de-luxe apartment gets in range.
Fortunately, I have plenty of room to welcome my family and friends.
An added bonus is the 200 year old tree in my backyard, that I named Charlotte after Mr. DUSable's Native wife, who changed her name to confirm to the norms of the day.
In my minds-eye I watch Mr. DuSable arrive by canoe to the heart of Chicago, the mouth of the Chicago River.
His courage and determination helped shape our fine metropolis.
When I was a child, I wanted to be mayor, now I know better. I'm just gonna enjoy being a homeowner in the greatest city in the world...Chicago...
