A Tour Of Chicago 1930s (home movie)
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- My grandfather, Noel A Hughes, filmed this home movie in 8 mm and edited it as shown. His probable intention was to use it as part of a lecture about Chicago. This was probably filmed around 1936 and 1937. At the time my grandfather was finishing his degree at George Williams College and planning to return to his family home in Australia. (For more about my grandfather's journey to Chicago, visit afathersletters... ) He ended up staying in Chicago and having a long career with the Evanston YMCA.
Headings in the film include:
*Chicago skyline from the observation platform of the Wrigley Building (0:17)
*South Michigan Boulevard (0:41)
*The Chicago River and Wacker Drive (0:56)
*Traffic on Michigan Boulevard (2:24)
*Skyline of the Gold Coast from the Navy Pier (2:34)
*Inland Steel Mills on the Calumet River South Chicago (3:27)
*Gary Steel Mills as seen from the road to Michiana Shores (3:53)
*Chicago towers from the observation platform of the Board of Trade Building - Home of the Grain Pits (4:26)
*La Salle Street - the financial centre of the Middle West (4:48)
*The Japanese Garden in Jackson Park - A relic of the 1893 Columbian Exposition (6:35)
*The Museum of Science and Industry ... A rebuilt building of the Columbian Exposition (7:14)
*The Soldiers Field seating 100,000 (7:44)
*The Adler Planetarium and Astronomical Museum (8:05)
*The Shedd Aquarium (8:34)
*Traffic on the South Outer Drive (8:57)
*The Ghetto on Maxwell Street - West Side of Chicago - A typical Sunday A.M. business scene (9:07)
*Drexel Boulevard (9:45)
*Typical Chicago streets (10:03)
SPRING IN THE CHICAGO PARKS (10:18)
*The Lagoons of Jackson Park (10:24)
*Alice Neil and Marion (10:35)
*Japanese girls in the Tea Garden (10:48)
*Skyline from the Planetarium (11:12)
*Sunday traffic in Lincoln Park (11:37)
*Lagoon in Lincoln Park - Noel and Alice in foreground (11:52)
*Playing field in Washington Park (12:20)
*Lagoon in Washington Park (12:38)
My dad grew up on the SS of Chicago in a neighborhood called the valley it's no longer in existence it's now the Dan Ryan expressway h, he was born 1924 he would have been 6 years old thx you for sharing this awesome video, I myself work as chef on 95th floor of the John Hancock building aka the signature room at the 95th. Peace y'all Chicago rules from 74th stoney island 1963
An absolute historic treasure piece - this film. I am so filled with emotion viewing this - to know that somewhere amongst all this visual - at that time, my gramma is there (1937 - 34 yrs old. Mom was 9.) I miss them so - and miss my gramma more as years go - 1966 I lost her, so it is a special film -
It makes me feel close to them -
Thank you so for sharing and Congratulations on being asked to share clips w a larger documentary. This must be so exciting.
Best wishes and to all my fellow Chicagoians. (I was born/lived-Northside between - Lincoln Park and Wrigley). Sadly the hospital I was born in came under severe criminial charges - Edgewater - and back in 1958, it was 1st class - met a nurse that worked there back then.
My parents owned restaurants in the 50's/60's - the primary was at Belmont and Western - across from Riverview! (I remember going as a lil child 3-4) Many Chicago memories from then.
This film helps add scale to memories - only 21 yrs before - though Chicago buildt major engineering feats and quickly - like back after the fire.
There are some Facebook Groups that share info/pics/links/etc. (Historic Chicago - is one and really nice folks in our group.) The history and details - architecture/families/investors/social history is so colorful and rich - it would take volumes of books tp record just between 1860 and 1910. I never tire of it and feel robbed to have been moved as a child to dad's home in Tennessee. Trips back and as also an adult - traveled there for business from my home in Nevada - and just got butterflies everytime I was in airspace of Chicago and everytime I walked down Sheffield Ave and cleared this one tree limb and then could see WRIGLEY FIELD!!! GO CUBS - fav destination (Bleechers)
ALWAYS BE MY HOME!!! PROUD OF IT AS WELL.
:-)
Thanks again - so appreciative.
Beth Bartlett I used to live at Belmont and western
Joe M
You did!!! I remember being there, going to our restaurant - learning to "teist" in the kitchen with dad and a bar- towel :-)
Remember Riverview, the tavern next door - they gave me a bunny for Easter - and the surrounding neighborhood - We lived in Strong Street then Melrose Ave -
Oh I love my early childhood memories - Pre Move to dad's original hometown - in Dixie (a horrible though adjusted/never fully acclimated existence)
... and after 20 years living in NV had to come back due to health - Pray I get better - energy and strength - to get out of this vile place -
GO CUBS!!!!!!!!!
The work that went into making this film by an amateur is just amazing. All the headings had to be hand created and spliced into the developed film The filming was usually shot in short segments, then cut up. Careful planning of each shot segment to have enough lead in/out for splicing. My dad, also an amateur filmmaker who lived in/filmed Chicago scenes during the 20's thru 60's, worked tirelessly on this hobby. I managed to get about a quarter of these digitally transferred before they disintegrated beyond repair. The technician was in awe of the work he did on these.
Hi Carol. I agree with you. It would have taken a lot of tedious detail work. I'm happy that I was able to get all the films that he and my great-aunt recorded digitized, even if the quality had deteriorated. I am sad to read that you lost so many of your father's films.
@@journeysinamerica2745 I think the headings were added later. The Maxwell street vendors were NOT considered ghetto in the 1930s. It was a place to shop for goods and wares.
@Robertjshearer Hi Robert. Keep in mind that our definition of ghetto has changed over the years. The Wikipedia entry on ghettos has postcards from 1908-09 describing Maxwell Street as a ghetto. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghetto#United_States It seems to have been another term for an ethnic enclave or community of immigrants. "Little Italys across the country were predominantly Italian ghettos," to quote directly from the Wikipedia page.
"The Original Maxwell Street Market was an impromptu ghetto market established in the late 19th century by newly arrived Jewish residents from Eastern Europe." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell_Street#The_Maxwell_Street_Market
How nice, the future generations can get a hold on the skyline, streets, fashion, etc of Chicago in the 1930s.
Thank you for your hard work converting film to video and editing.
Grew up in Roseland and Fernwood on the south side.
My mom and dad were teenagers and young adults who lived in Pullman in the '30's.
I heard a lot of great stories about Prohibition,the World's Fair,Pullman Shops,getting up early to go shopping on Maxwell Street and the old high school sports rivalries -Fenger v Pullman Tech.
Thanks for posting.
This was so wonderful to see. I grew up in Chicago and I have often wished that I had a time machine that would allow me to see what Chicago was like long before I was born. Now you have provided me with one! Thanks so much for sharing!
Like one of the other commenters I tried to imagine my grandparents and parents living through those images. Yes, it's ironic that Maxwell St. was titled a "ghetto." It looked like a great market of entrepreneurship. Would love to be able to transport back to visit that era. Thanks for the vid!
This is a great film. Much is different now, but many places are recognizable. How I miss Maxwell St.!
I have some fun news to share. A producer from Fox 32 news in Chicago contacted me and asked if they could use some of Noel's footage in a report about how Chicago's economy has transitioned from the old steel mill days. The report is expected to air on Wednesday, Nov. 20, in the 9 p.m. hour. In exchange, Journeys in America should be getting an on-air credit. The footage is from this video, which is almost up to 10,000 views, by the way!
Congratulations!!! :-)
Hope to see that documentary soon!
Journeys in America
Thank you so much for sharing your video. It's nice to be able to look back at the way Chicago was then.
I treasure the past.🖤 Those were the good old days for a lot of people. As time goes by, things inevitably change; but, not always for the better. . .
I had never heard of Maxwell Street being called a " ghetto ".
I know someone who went there in the sixties; but, I thought it was similar to a flea market, and, where you could shop for bargains. If I remember correctly, there were food vendors too.
Thank you for sharing this with everyone, Sure looked different, but some things look as they do today.
Noel's video tour of Chicago, taken about 1937. It's long, but it features all sorts of Chicago icons, from the Adler Planetarium to Soldier Field. It's fun to see what has changed in the city, and what has endured. If you click through to the full description, there are shortcuts to view specific headings.
This is incredible footage thanks for posting!
I lived off Drexel Boulevard in the early fifties. It was a beautiful Boulevard, and many prominent people, black and white alike, lived on Drexel. Now there are drive by shootings on Drexel, and public housing next to majestic homes and apartments. Sad.
thank you for sharing, i love chicago
Потрясающе!!!!! Клад, сокровище!!!!!!!! Безграничный респект загрузившему это видео!!!!!!! Огромное спасибо!!!
Wow, it's amazing how much Chicago has changed in 80 years. Apart from the museums and Navy Pier, I really didn't recognize much, especially the skyline (I think I did see Tribune Tower). And the traffic has not changed, just the cars, LOL. I wish I could have seen Wrigley Field and old Comiskey Park (at least it has Soldier Field), but apart from that it's a beautiful piece of history.
Priceless! Thank you for sharing!!
Answer for Merrie Destefano - although I'm just seeing your question 8 months later so you'll probably never see this answer; it's pollution. Coal was the primary heating source in the 30's. It was gradually replaced by cleaner burning heating oil, however, this change took decades and many homes and apartment buildings still burned coal for a very long time. Coal was also used to generate electricity. Even as late as the 1970's Commonwealth Edison still operated a large coal-fire furnace for generating electricity. It was at California & Roscoe, very close to Lane Tech High School, and in operation 24x7..
Thanks for this information. I enjoyed reading the insight into the times.
Not just for heating. In many cities another source was steam locomotives, and you all know that Chicago is the railroad capital. Many of the locomotives burned that crappy bituminous coal from southern Illinois, which did not burn clean or provide the energy of eastern anthracite or the western coal that dominates today. In St. Louis, the problem was so bad that there was actually at least one day--November 28, 1939, which came to be known as Black Tuesday-- in which visibility was near zero downtown when an atmospheric inversion combined with the coal smoke . en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939_St._Louis_smog
Thanks so much for sharing this!
thank you for sharing.
Thank you.
Awesome! Thank you!
nice home movie--I like that
great video
As a Swede, I can't help comparing to what we had back then.. A lot of industries yes, but no real city.
I comfort myself with the expression going "Swedes built Chicago".
Just a nitpick, but it is "Soldier Field", not "Soldiers Field". But many make this error and it has even been made by the Chicago Daily News newspaper!
he said: unlimited respect to the man who uploaded it , aka you
Amazing!!!
Thank you.
(According to Google translate, you told me: "Fabulous!! Treasure, a treasure!!! Respect unlimited download this video!!! Thank you so much!"
amazing
The narrative goes that the Chicago tribune tower and Wrigley building were both built and completed within 2 years in early 1920’s.
Can someone tell me what’s wrong with this narrative?
This is amazing! One thing I noticed was that everything looked very cloudy, foggy or maybe smoggy. Do you know if this was smog (caused by pollution) or was it weather related? Thanks for any info you might have! =)
Everything was coal powered back then - the mills, the factories, and the trains too. Buildings and homes were heated with coal. You could dust a window sill in the morning and in the afternoon, it would be covered with soot and fine ash from coal smoke.
ive always wondered if i suddenly found myself in the 20s or 30s, could i still find my way around the city. i know my place would be there, it was built in 1920
I would like to seethe apartment I live now
You probably could. Certain neighborhoods were still farmland because they hadn't been built yet and streets were longer because there were no expressways with bridges over them yet.
@@abegoldman8749 there was actually, I don't know why you apparently act like you just waltz out of this.
@@WitchKing-Of-Angmar interstates were invented in the 1950s
@@abegoldman8749 Davison highway. As I'll say again, nothing was created in the 1950's, everything was a product before that later added in as a new idea but naives that had lost that cognitive motive in which common ideas originate before a common known origin. Figueroa Street viaduct, Cloverleaf interchange way since 1929, and yes, unlike what you thought, the model T did not inspire the modern asphalt road, in fact asphalt roads have been in operation since the 1500s, America offered them in the late 1800's alongside their smooth brick, coarse macadam, and the fellows angry at the concept of smooth road that later ripped apart easily in only mere years just like today.
Those beautiful Japanese structures, which influenced Frank Lloyd Wright, were burned down and never rebuilt. While they have restored the Japanese garden in Jackson Park, they never restored the pavilions.
Thanks! So was I.
how does chromatic aberration get on a piece of black and white film?
Parts of this were filmed in color, even in the 1930s. Or maybe through the digitization process?
@@HaleyHughes2001 no no no, that is definitely real color, it is never digitally enhanced like that, there's a clear difference.
Was your grandfather by chance related to a George Hughes.
I live in Park ridge and had a neighbor by that name who was also a Chicago school teacher.
Soldier Field’s Seating - not “Soldiers Field Seating”
Hi Mike. Sorry it's taken me so long to respond to you. There were no George Hugheses in the family who lived in Chicago or even the United States.
You need to scan this film properly, I can help
Martin Ten Hi Martin. I did use a professional service. I'm curious what you would recommend.
Jesus it's historyl!!! I from Russia.
@jonlevi
good grief
12:28 a Chicagoan bugger
chicago when everybody was white !!!!!!
Lol hardly that.