Without Native Americans, Would We Have Chicago As We Know It? (WBEZ Story)

Without Native Americans, Would We Have Chicago As We Know It?

Names like DuSable, Marquette, and Joliet are cited in the history books. But it was Native Americans who first set the foundation for Chicago to develop into a major Midwestern metropolis.

I was recently interviewed for this great story (audio and text linked above) on Native contributions to the city of Chicago.

chicago_1820_onwhite-mr_jluhltv Between 1790 and 1830, Europeans and Americans, and their Native American spouses, established a small trading community at the mouth of the Chicago river. (Courtesy Library of Congress)