On October 6th, we embarked on a tour through some of Chicago's most historic and violent moments in

On October 6th, we embarked santa barbara vacation rentals on a tour through some of Chicago's most historic and violent moments in time. Craig Pfannkuche gave a colorful tour of Chicago's underbelly. While our bus made its way through the city, he told tales of labor riots, santa barbara vacation rentals crooked politicians, serial killers, mob strongholds and demises, police and citizen clashes. We visited lesser known historic sites and shared our family histories. Some people remembered santa barbara vacation rentals an old song the children used to sing about Adolph Luetgert, the man who murdered his wife in his sausage factory. Another person had a great uncle that was "hit" by the mob.
All were stops on a marvelous tour entitled Dark Alleys of Chicago sponsored by the Chicago Genealogical Society. The focus of the outing was to give local history enthusiasts an opportunity to visit the notorious, infamous and macabre sites that make up the dark side of Chicago s history. You know ~ the ones you d never see advertised in those slick advertising brochures marketed to traditional Chicago tourists. And who could resist a tour like that ~ especially in the month of October ~ when ghosts, hauntings, murder and mayhem seem to be the order of the day all month long?
Among our stops? Sites of the St.Valentine s Day Massacre of 1929; the Biograph theater where notorious bank robber John Dillinger was gunned down by authorities in 1934; and The Four Deuces the speakeasy, brothel and headquarters run by gangster Al Capone in the late 1920s and early 30 s.
Stops and drive-bys included Jane Addams Hull House on the UIC campus; santa barbara vacation rentals sites of the Haymarket rebellion, the Everleigh sisters turn-of-the-century brothel in the old Levee District , and a stop by the old Chicago stockyards , center of the 1919 labor riots ~ all mere bullet points (no pun intended!) on a very short course in Chicago History.
We also passed by Our Lady of Angels school where a devastating fire killed nearly 100 children and teachers; the street corner where Richard Speck , renowned for killing eight student nurses in the late 1960s, was captured by police; and Washington Square Park where serial killer John Wayne Gacy was known to pick up his victims in the 1970s before completing his ghoulish crimes.
There are colorful (and lengthy) tales to be told for each site visited last weekend. The photos and captions displayed below, though, will offer a glimpse into some of the fabled stories that dot the Dark Alleys of Chicago.
Our motor coach for the day. I have to give our driver a lot of credit for getting this gigantic buggy up and down the streets of Chicago on a busy Saturday afternoon. (By the way, this bus was 4 taller than the viaduct we had to retreat from to find another route to our next stop!)
santa barbara vacation rentals Site of Al Capone s former headquarters, the Four Deuces Speakeasy at 2222 South Wabash, a now vacant lot that is loosely cordoned off by some warped cyclone fencing. santa barbara vacation rentals Back in Capone s day, the first floor held an antique shop; the second floor was the speakeasy; the third floor was where ladies of the evening entertained Capone s guests; and the top floor served as the gangster santa barbara vacation rentals s headquarters where he conducted santa barbara vacation rentals important business of the day. One tourist asked our guide, Craig Pfannkuche, why the lot was still empty after all these years. The answer? It s still owned by the mob; there are too many title searches to trace to make it worthwhile; and there are a heck of a lot of back taxes to be paid by someone before the city would ever let it be zoned again for re-use! (Once I heard that lot was still owned by the mob, I skedaddled right back through that fence and got off the property. You never know where these folks may lurk!) (Photo by Linda Kirsininkas)
Headlines and photos of the Chicago Herald Examiner blast news to Chicagoans of the Valentine s Day Massacre the most notorious gangster killing of the Prohibition era. The conflict pitted the South side Italian gang led by Al Capone against the North side Irish gang led by Bugsy Moran.
This arched entrance way to Chicago s famous santa barbara vacation rentals Union Stockyards. Designed by renowned Chicago architects Burnham and Root, this is all that s left of an era in Chicago history that brings santa barbara vacation rentals to mind such names as Armour, Swift, bubbly creek and Upton Sinclair s book The Jungle , an expose of Chicago santa barbara vacation rentals s meatpacking industry. (Photo by Linda Kirsininkas)
A monument just inside the former Chicago Stockyards commemorating the 1919 and 1920 race riots in Chicago. It bears the names of fallen firemen who lost their lives during that riot. (Photo by Linda Kirsininkas)
This statue at the corner of Randolph and Jefferson streets commemorates the sites of the 1886 Haymarket Massacre, when German anarchists clashed with Chicago Police over worker s rights. (Photo santa barbara vacation rentals by Linda Kirsininkas)
Dark Alleys tourists, Pat Biallas and Linda Kirsininkas relax on a park bench in Washington santa barbara vacation rentals Square Park across from the Newberry Library ~ an area where serial killer John Wayne Gacy is said to have picked up a few of his unfortunate victims in the 1970s.
Organizers of the captivating Dark Alleys of Chicago bus tour: Julie Benson, President of the Chicago Genealogical Society; Stephanie Carbonetti, tour organizer and CGS Program Chair; and the inimitable Craig Pfannkuche, storyteller extraordinaire. Thank you folks, for a very memorable and enjoyable day! (Photo by Linda Kirsininkas)
Regarding the Fallen Firefighters memorial in the stockyards - it honors the 21 Chicago firemen killed in a Dec. 22, 1910 fire in warehouse. No connection to 1919 race riot. Also enscribed on the sides of the memorial are names of Chicago firemen killed in the line of duty. Reply Delete Add comment Load more...
The Chicago Genealogical Society was begun in 1967 as a not-for-profit educational organization devoted to collecting, preserving santa barbara vacation rentals and perpetuating the records of our ancestors, and to stimulate an interest in all people who contributed in any way to the establishment of Chicago and its surrounding area.