Field, Leiter & Co Stables., Marshall Field & Co. Stables
Life Span: 1872-~1910
Location: 297-319 Pacific/La Salle (“Biler” Avenue, south of Van Buren)
Architect: Unknown
- Marshall Field Stables
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
1906
Chicago Tribune, September 27, 1870
South Division Name Changes.
The Committee on Streets and Alleys, South Division, reported ordinances changing the names of Griswold street to Pacific avenue, and Wells street to Fifth avenue. Laid over.
Chicago Evening Mail, February 17, 1872
Real Estate.
Field, Leiter & Co.. stable and warehouse, Pacific av.; cost, 20,000.
Chicago Tribune, November 3, 1872
The horse disease spread like wildfire on Friday. That night travel was virtually suspended, the street-cars and stage-lines having hauled off, and yesterday morning the streets were deserted, business was at a stand-still, the roar and rumble of traffic was unheard, and a pall of silence hung over the city. Citizens got up in the morning to come down town to business, and legs that seldom walked were called upon to transport their owner many miles during the day. The people walked with wonderful unanimity, and probably the exercise was good for them. Here and there a horse could be seen moving slowly, as it he were bound for a tan-yard, wondering what the blanket was doing on his back, and why the whip was not applied as usual. All the horses in town were not suffering from the complaint, but, as & precautionary measure most of them were kept in the stable.
There was but little business transacted yesterday. The express companies and large business houses made no effort to move merchandise, preferring to give their horses rest, and shelter them from the effects of the foggy and damp atmosphere that prevailed all day. Many of
them expect that two or three days rest, in the early stage of the complaint will nip it in the bad.
The horse-cars and omnibuses will be missed by everybody, for everybody rides. The companies are determined to keep their stock in-doors until they recover or die, and, in the meantime, the street-car community will be under the necessity of using their own domestic animal, “Shanks’ mare,” or of finding some other means of locomotion,
RAILROADS TO THE RESCUE.
On the South Side, some relief will be offered by the Illinois Central, Michigan Southern, and Rock Island Railroads, which will run extra trains on and after Monday. The former will put on three additional trains during the day, and one about 11 o’clock at night, running them to Hyde Park, and stopping at the principal streets; the other tow roads will run trains from the Harrison street depot to Thirty-ninth and Forty-fourth streets and return, from 7 a. m. till 7 p. m., leaving the depot every hour, and Thirty-ninth street every half hour. The fare on the Bock Island and Michigan Southern Roads will be ten cents. The Central has not announced its tariff. The Pittsburgh & Fort Wayne dummy to the Stock Yards is expected to run very frequently, accommodating that part of the city. The C. B. & Q., the Michigan Central, and the Chicago & St. Louis have not made public their intentions, but will undoubtedly run trains if the disease continues.
On the West Side, the Chicago & Northwestern may run special trains to the city limits, if the street cars do not soon resume; but now they are short of rolling-stock, having sent away a large train of Mormons yesterday morning, and a regiment of soldiers go to California this morning.
The St. Louis & Alton, the Chicago & Northwestern and the Illinois Central, and the Star Union line have sent orders to their country agents not to ship any perishable articles or parcels to be delivered in this city. Freight is being transferred from the Eastern to the Western roads, and vice-versa, by special trains.
OXEN AND DUMMIES.
The great mercantile houses have decided to give their stock a rest for a day or two. Field, Leiter & Co. purchased twelve yoke of oxen yesterday. They will be experimented with on Monday. It requires a regular training to navigate oxen, and they have a vernacular of their own. Mr. Leiter said they have accomplished ox-drivers among their teamsters, and will put them in charge. Anyway, they are determined to deliver their goods, if the firm and clerks have to carry them on their shoulders. Hamlin, Hale & Co,’s animals are only slightly indisposed, and are expected to be in harness in a day or two. O. L. Woodman & Co. have a sick lot of horses, and many of their customers were left yesterday morning without their usual supply of the staff of life.
In his capacity as Alderman, Mr. Woodman thought dummies should be used on the streets during the prevalence of the horse disease. This subject will be considered at a special meeting of the Council, to be held at 1 o’clock on Monday.
We are informed that some of the retail grocers have put up their prices from 10 to 25 per cent in consequence of the difficulty and increased cost at delivering goods.
Even the vendors of the lacteal fluid have evinced their possession of the “milk of human kindness,” and have, as a rule, allowed their horses the shelter of their stable, rather than run the risk of the animals catching the distemper. Numerous instances were observed of a canvas-covered wagon, with the dairy sign upon it, being drawn by the usual can-carrier, assisted by two or three boys. Progress was, of course, slow, under the circumstances, but the customer is glad to receive his daily supply even by this tardy process.
A team of goats, attached to a light wagon, attracted considerable attention on Wabash avenue yesterday afternoon. The driver, a full grown man, was the most satisfied looking individual in town, as he whirled along at a spanking rate of speed.
Hay was a scarce commodity in Chicago yesterday, the farmers’ horses having “gone back” on their owners just like city animals.
The theatres were comparatively empty yesterday afternoon and evening, owing to the impossibility of people getting to and from places of amusement. McVicker’s receipts fell off a thousand dollars on Saturday.
People who have failed to lay in their winter supplies of coal and wood are in a “fix,” all the horses of the coal companies having taken sick yesterday.
The stables of J. V. Farwell & Co. and Field & Leiter resemble horse hospitals, all the drivers acting as nurses, and it is astonishing to see the dexterity and skill they display in bandaging the sick animals.
A yoke of oxen, owned by Field, Leiter & Co., were hastily cheered as they were driven up to the door of that firm yesterday.
Chicago Tribune, November 4, 1872
Interesting News from the Stables.
Frank Parmelee’s horses seem to be doing better; they are coughing less and are commencing to run from their noses. Mr. Parmalee continues to transfer passengers. The horses at Farwell’s stables are still dressed in the height of horse-fashion, and seem quite comfortable in their red flannel stockings. The express.wagons of this firm were propelled by drivers who trotted through the rain and mud all day without catching the disease, and they were not blanketed, either. Messrs. Farwell & Co. will have several ox-teams in use to-day. Field & Letter’s horses look about the same as Farwell’s, and are dressed in the same style and fashion. All the horses in this stable have the disease in a verv mild form, and hopes of their speedy re covery are entertained. This firm has been eo fortunate as to secure nine teams of oxen, which they had at work all day yesterday, and they are greatly satisfied witn tne experiment.
Chicago Tribune, July 27, 1878
Field & Leiter’s stables, on Pacific avenue, opposite the Van Buren street depot,, also caught it (flood). Three inches of water in the basement made it necessary to remove the horses, but while they were being removed, the rain ceased, the waters fell, and they were soon led back to their stalls. No damage, therefore, resulted from the wetting.
Chicago Tribune, January 27, 1881
They (Marshall Field and Levi Leiter) own jointly their present wholesale house, the retail store, the warehouse at the corner of Franklin and Randolph, recently erected, and their stables on Pacific avenue.
Chicago Tribune, May 21, 1882
Biler Avenue.
There is “Biler Avenue,” for instance, which is an illustration of the uselessness of reforming a street by changing its name. This interesting avenue begins at Van Buren street, just east of the Rock Island depot, and runs south a few blocks. It used to be known as Griswold street, and a very bad and disreputable thoroughfare it was. In order to improve it and tone up its women, its name was changed to Pacific avenue; but by that designation it was known for only a short time. Somebody noticing that the residents of the street, most of who are women without husbands, got biling drunk, and were in a state of constant riot and effervescence, gave it the name of “Biler avenue,” which it has held for years, and which it will probably continue to hold until such time as the reforming influences of the new Board of Trade building have purified the atmosphere down, there.
- Marshall Field Stables
The stretch on Pacific Avenue between Van Buren and Taylor Street was nicknamed “Biler Avenue.” Note that the Harrison Street Police Station was located on the NE corner of Harrison and Pacific Avenue.
Robinson Fire Insurance Map
1886
- Marshall Field Stables location in 1928
- Marshall Field’s delivery wagons are lined up neatly in this 1897 image of Holden Court, the alley that traversed the store. Initially, boys made deliveries, toting bundles on foot or via public transportation, but in 1872, the firm switched to wagons after the Pacific avenue stables were completed.
Motor Age, February 2, 1911
Marshall Field & Co. have in Chicago one of the most remarkable delivery systems in the world. Inside the store and on the road every device is used to expedite delivery. It is a common saying that when a purchase is made at Field’s the goods often reach the house before the customer can get home. From the different selling floors the parcels are dropped down a spiral chute to the basement. Here they slide out upon traveling belts that carry them past sorters, who pick them out and throw them upon other belts for different sections of the city. Other sorters take them from these belts and throw them into large trunks behind them. The trunks are numbered to correspond with certain blocks or areas in the different sections of the city, and they stand on hand trucks.
As soon as a trunk is full the top is closed and locked, the truck is run out to the loading platform and the trunk put aboard a large 3-ton truck with others.
Trunk Delivery System
In from half an hour to an hour the truckload of trunks reaches a distributing station in an outlying part of the city, where the trunks are thrown off and a load of empties taken on. Horse-drawn wagons now take the trunks and, without removing the packages, they start out on the delivery routes. Each trunk has been filled with packages for a certain street or block, so that it is not necessary to open more than one or two at a time. From the time they leave the store until they are removed in the delivery wagon not a package is handled individually. So none can get lost or slip from the wrapping, and the wrapping can not get soiled.
Formerly the trunks for suburban places, such as Evanston and Oak Park, were hauled by horse-drawn trucks to the railroad stations and sent by express, to be distributed locally by light wagons. But since the equipment of motor trucks was installed the railroad service has been discontinued to such nearby suburbs, and the store depends entirely upon the power wagons.
There is only one improvement that can be suggested. That is, the use of light motor delivery wagons in place of the horse outfits at the distributing stations Undoubtedly this has been considered al ready by the management and will follow in time. As it is, one of the 3-ton trucks is able to keep from one dozen to twenty of the horse wagons busy constantly with local work.
Rapid Service Maintained
Just one little story in this connection will show how much a delivery system be comes a real asset to a store. A Chicago business man went to Field’s one day and ordered a mahogany desk for his study at home in Rogers Park. He did not know the exact length of the space it was to occupy, but asked the store to send it out and if it fitted he would keep it. Upon returning to his office about 2 o’clock the purchaser received a telegram calling him out of the city. He at once got Field’s on the telephone and said that if they could get the desk to his house before 4 p.m. he would take it, otherwise not to make the delivery. Taking a train for Rogers Park about an hour later, he arrived home at 3:30, and found that the desk was in the house.
In addition to their truck service, Marshall Field & Co. maintain a fleet of light delivery wagons which really are Packard pleasure cars with panel top bodies. These machines are designed wholly for rapid delivery service, such as carrying out small purchases which necessarily must be rushed. It is remarkable the time these machines made and it often is the case that the purchaser arrives home to find that the bundles are already there.
NOTES:
Griswold street was changed to Pacific avenue in September, 1870, then changed to La Salle street in 1901.
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