39 Old Maps Review the 180 Year Long History of Chicago
It is the goal of many a people to preserve history and culture for posterity. That they may learn from their humble beginnings viable lessons to help them to manage resources, and grow and avoid wasteful ventures. One of the oldest documents which performs this great function is a map. It is no wonder then why it made the news when a 180-year-old map of Chicago was recently discovered. This recently discovered treasure shows how the once upon a time “western outpost of 350 people”(as Dennis Rodkin puts it) has grown into the largest city of the American Midwest.
Chicago History Museum
These maps are testament to the fact that a people can rise after a fall. Remember the great fires recorded in history to have destroyed one-third of Chicago and left more than 100,000 homeless in October 1871? Well, Chicagoans rebuilt speedily, and today, Chicago is what it is, as Carl Sandburg’s 1916 poem puts it, “Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.”
“The 39 maps will be on display at the third annual Chicago International Map Fair Chicago International Map Fair October 23-25 at the Loyola University Art Museum on North Michigan Avenue. They are for sale through Harlan J. Berk, with a stipulation from the seller that they all remain together.
COURTESY HALRAN J. BERK LTD
“We expect them to sell for several hundreds of hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Berk said. He would not disclose what the owner paid for the box of maps, but said “it was much, much less than that.”” reports Dennis Rodkin of the Chicago Real Estate Daily.
by D’ZYNA ENI
