Chicago Tribune, December 6, 1953
The north-south streets of Chicago for a long time were of less importance than the east-west ones. Only with the reconstruction after the 1871 fire did one of them, State effectively challenge the preeminence of Lake st.
Wells named for the Billy Wells who had been brought up by the Miami Indians and who perished in the 1812 massacre, became a street of ill repute. For that reason the name of its southern segment was changed in 1870 to 5th av. Objections were raised to this name as being pointless and the original name was re stored to the whole street in 1918.
La Salle st. was the location of Chicago’s first jail, on the south-cast corner of Randolph st. The street acquired fame because the last bear seen loose within the corporate limits of Chicago was shot there near the corner of Adams st. on Oct 6, 1834. Credit for the exploit has been given to one Sam George, for whom George st. was named, and also to a John Sweeney.
Known to Financiers
The massive bulk of the Board of Trade building, which now blocks off the view to the south of La Sale main segment, is sufficient evidence of the street’s importance in national and inter national finance. The street’s tone today has been described as “suburban. Republican, and Princetonian.” It was slow to reach that position; Washington st. for a long time was better known as the “Wall street of Chicago.” Still, La Salle st. had Chicago’s first bank, a branch of the Illinois State bank, chartered on Dec. 5, 1835.
On La Salle at the corner of Washington, stood the first courthouse, of red brick, built in 1837, and the second one, built in 1857, from the steps of which Jules Lombard sang the Battle Cry of Freedom.”
La Salle st. became a main artery when its tunnel under the river was completed just before the great fire of 1871. It could accommodate 50,000 vehicles and 1,000,000 pedestrians a day. The great fire having burned all the bridges, the tunnel was the only available passage for three months between the north and south banks of the river. It has now been absorbed into the north-south underground railway.
Clark St. May Be Oldest
Clark often spelled Clarke, long seemed to outsiders the street most characteristic of Chicago. It was the terminus of an old trail from the south and hence may enter a claim to being the city’s oldest street. In its extension north of the river, it continued into another road, which linked up with the old Green Bay trail. It still gets distinction from the municipal buildings, some impressive hotels, and from the skyscraper and spire of the Chicago Temple, at the corner of Washington. But Clark st. early became known as a street of contrasts, alternating fine residences and substantial businesses with shanties and dives, and that character seems to cling to it.
On Clark at the corner of Water the community’s first newspaper, the Chicago Democrat, was published. (Chicago, in Its earliest days, was strongly Jacksonian.) The first Sherman House was built on Clark at the corner of Randolph. Mayor Carter Harrison’s house was on Clark, south of the corner of Van Buren, evidence that the street retained some of its prestige till the end of the century.
The Bank of Chicago was one of the curiosities of Clark st. It occupied a two story building near the corner of Randolph. It was founded in 1852 by Seth Paine, whose code was to make no loans to pay debts, no loans on real estate, (and none in any case where tobacco or alcoholic liquor was involved. For all important transactions Paine went into session in his rooms upstairs with a medium who invoked the spirit of Alexander Hamilton. Maybe Hamilton as a ghost had lost his financial cunning. In any case, the Bank of Chicago failed after a brief time.
From the beginning Clark st. had the reputation of being first gay, then wicked. In the 1850s citizens were noticing that “young sports,” sharp dressers in fancy waistcoats and lemon colored gloves, gathered on its corners. Scoffers that these were not “real sports,” but only well to do idlers who “mashed” (the past century’s equivalent of wolfed) the girls.
Realm of Racketeer
After the great fire, Clark st. became the realm of Mike McDonald, the boss racketeer and politician of his time. Gamblers’ alley, between Washington and Madison was supposed to be entirely consecrated to sin in the 1890s. After McDonald came the long reign of the “lords of the levee,” Bathhouse John Coughlin and Hinky Dink Kenna, who had their cigar store on S. Clark st. and the “Workingmen’s Exchange,” where they swapped handouts to the impoverished for votes.
In 1903 a stretch of S. Clark st. was peopled by Italian immi grants, crowded into lodging houses which advertised rates of 20 cents a day, bath and two meals included.” This neighborhood long was Chicago’s Chinatown, but in 1924 only a few Chinese still lingered there.
North of the river, Clark st. had a separate life of its own. At the close of the last century, just after it had been lighted and paved, saloons and amusement halls began moving in among its conservative residents.
Fight Against Vice
The Tribune of Sept. 4, 1898, carried a story on “North Clark Street’s Fight Against Vice,” saying that it “may be another levee.” “A wave of indignation forced the saloons to take pictures of nudes out of their front windows.
The tendency of half a century ago has apparently continued. This segment of Clark st. is filled with pitfalls for the unwary at night. By daylight it seems just seedy.
Where N. Clark st. opens on Lincoln park, the substantial, old fashioned building of the Germania club is lingering evidence that this section of Chicago once was populated almost entirely by those of German descent. In this neighborhood is the building of the old Deutsches theater.
Veers at North Av.
At its junction with North N. Clark st. goes off on a bias, eventually to connect with Ridge rd. and the Green Bay trail. Thus at both ends of its enormous length, Clark st. was one of the main roads into Chicago.
Formerly the relation of the N. Clark st. deviation to the trail was more apparent. From the main branch of the river, the route followed Rush st. to Chicago then turned to the northwest for about a mile, to the junction of Clark st. and North av. All traces of this diagonal connecting Chicago and North ave. have disappeared.
Chicago Tribune, September 4, 1898
There is a fight going on in with Clark street. Fights are not uncommon in North (of the River) Clark street. Bu this is the biggest yet and one of standing. It is the fight of the street against the encroachment of vice.
It dates back a long way. North Clark street has always had a reasonably good opinion of itself as a thoroughfare. It has always considered itself a street of great possibilities. Since business-men first took a position there it has been “lifting” itself. Once it set out to be a thoroughfare of light, the “best-lighted street in Chicago,” and the property-owners banded together to put arc light before every store. The unused rods upon which these lights were to swing still decorate Clark street for block after block.
And there are other evidences of the “lifting” movement.
But North Clark street has suddenly awakened to the fact that the effect of the lifting has not been permanent.
Is North Clark street to descend to the level of the levee?
The Merchants’ association of the thoroughfare says that it shall not. It would seem that certain of the saloonkeepers and certain of Chicago’s criminal say that it shall.
One year ago the business-men of this commercial artery of Chicago felt that they were on a moral mountaintop, from which they could look with something like exultation upon the valley of vice to the south.
Now they are not so certain.
Fight Now Is On.
The “levee!” Not only to Chicagoans, but to all who live within reaching distance of the Chicago newspapers the word “levee” has embodied that is everything that is bad in human nature. There is now on a battle royal between the men engaged in legitimate business on North Clark street on the one hand and men who are engaged in illegitimate business on the other hand, the outcome of which will decide the saving of North Clark street for the ranks of respectability or its relegation to the control of the vicious.
North Clark street suffers undoubtedly from the fact that it is the outlet to the north of a street, South Clark street, which in certain portions contains much that law people call bad—very bad. For two years the North Side men of business have tried to check the tide that seemed bound to flow across the bridge. A degeneration of the street was to them a nightmare. They saw in its being placed upon a level with certain districts of the Harrison Street Police Station a danger to their interests. Then they went to work.
At the outset it was found that the chief element with which they had to deal was that composed entirely of the vicious class.The police were with them. Inspector Schaack, the “burgomaster,” was appealed to, and he promised that the street should be kept morally clean. The consensus of opinion of the men who started out to bring about the reform is that Schaack lived up to his word. The President of the North Side Business-Men’s association said after the answer of Captain Schaack had been received, that he believed that from that time North Clark street would be a place of pure and simple, and where women and children could go to do their shopping or make purchases without fear of annoyance.
Let In the Light.
After the appeal to the Inspector at East Chicago Avenue Station had been made, the business-men met once more and said: We tist help the Inspector in his, work.
The way to do this is to raise some thou-kid of dollars, and to let some light in on The scene.” Lght did come in upon the scene. There tas a pole erected at every corner for the Purpose of electric lighting. Those who had taken advantage of the dark condition of Clark street to make It a second of the city’s shadier thoroughfares tere driven away. Then, certain of the low came in contact with the btlIness-men. once more.
The divekeeper 101, if you illuminate the thoroughfares WO Open Our back rooms, and where the Lght of the street does not penetrate we will Le the people whom you are trying. to 4r-ve away. The business-men of North Clark street kal in view the conservation of trade for they had been builthng up. Through t.h,eie President they made an appeal to the department, asking that every saloon which harbored women and thieves in lack rooms and stalls of the main saloons thollid be closed- Men there was trouble. Politics to Their Aid.
4 one of the divelteepers brought In Political friend. The Mayor was ape to. He referred them all to Inspector Schaack said that everv back irr0 which was divided off into partitions 4ctild be subject to police inspection; that anY notorious women or thieves were there that partition should be knocked a and that the proprietor of the place -0 thenceforth attempted to shield any of 4Utile classes should have his license re- ed. toder this rigorous rule the North Clark husiness-men breathed freely once has el huma royal busin, hand mate come Nor. bility Viciol Not from riorth In cet thidir Tears tried to tio, of th, ThFy with Pt)lice Then At elemei that The Staai tt, an Le kel opinio: about Ils wc BusmE answe 0 No tusine and et or ma LoYant Artst thicag husInet tlust I iv krAs 1 The acE Lghl ttis a rurPos taken of ttre ICN)nli tasines all, if Ira op L’ght of Le ti 6-ve a The 1 ‘-‘ci in 7111 their L’cn iv rt 1-70-dld Tten t.yery 14 Poll tifzied i mcnn a Itculd I tt any ki ‘itd II afAva a tto till -e uta yoked.
Clark Street and Chicago
1927
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