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Showing posts from October, 2019

Moo & Oink, The Union Stock Yards of Chicago

    The Union Stock Yards were the largest stockyards in  the U.S. and received about 45,000 cattle, 75,000 hogs and 50,000 sheep daily. Published by Gerson Bros. Many of the animals arrive  at the stockyards on railroad cars. Publisher name unknown. Cows graze under an elevated station near the stockyards while people watch them. Publisher name unknown. Depending on the direction of the wind, a dreadful stench from the animals at America’s largest stockyards would blow across certain parts of the city, even all the way to Cicero Avenue on the Southwest side, my grandparents told me.  Chicago was often referred to as the “slaughterhouse of the world,” as millions of  livestock passed through the site each year. Conditions at the almost 500-acre stockyards at Exchange and Halsted Streets were terrible for both workers and animals. Immigrants and poor whites and blacks worked together in the packinghouses butchering thousand of animals a day in dange

Exploring Chicago History with Vintage Postcards

Welcome to my blog that examines Chicago history by viewing vintage postcards. I am a journalist, amateur philatelist and postcard collector. Deltiology is the study of postcards. My blog posts dive into the history of deltiology with a focus on Chicago. Most of the postcards featured here are from my personal collection. My wife, a professional book editor, also edits these posts. One of my first loves was to view vintage postcards of this amazing city and read about its unique history. I now want to share these beautiful images and stories with you. Please feel free to share your comments and stories. You can also email me at josephruzich@gmail.com. Published by Curt Teich & Co., Inc.