| The Township of Chicago
was organized in 1833 and settlers poured in from New
England and other eastern states. One of the factors
that influenced Chicago's rapid growth was its Midwest
proximity and it soon became the central link between
eastern and western United States. The first railroad
line to Chicago was completed in the late 1840s and
the Illinois and Michigan Canal opened around the same
time. In 1860, the National Republican Convention nominated
home-state candidate Abraham Lincoln for President.
Life was good in Chicago until in 1871 when most of
the city was destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire.
Nevertheless, disaster did not
hold the city back for long. Before the smoke cleared,
city planners were determined to make the new Chicago
famous throughout the world for its architecture. The
Home Insurance Building in Chicago became the world’s
first skyscraper was completed in 1885. By 1890, Chicago
was the second largest metropolitan city in the U.S.
with 1.1 million people.
The 20th century brought a different
notoriety to Chicago. Italian and Sicilian groups
sought to control to a booming bootlegging industry
during Prohibition.
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