Jefferson, Larrabee & Geneva Terrace Walk
Details
Update, Sep 1:
- I’ve revised the route to catch more of Jefferson. The new route is 7.12 miles. The route link has been updated.
- The weather forecast has little lightning bolts on it. We do walk rain or shine. I’ll keep an eye out if it starts looking, like, a derecho.
We'll meet at La Malinche Coffee House on Halsted, then proceed to Jefferson and Cermak. We'll take Jefferson as far as it goes, then switch to Larrabee. Larrabee will manifest itself into Geneva Terrace a few blocks before its end point on W. Deming Pl. in Lincoln Park. Here's the RunGo route map.
I’d like to stop for lunch at the end of the walk at the Briny Swine Smokehouse
Namesake/street rants:
Thomas Jefferson was also an evil bastard, but had a staggering flair for writing like he wasn't. His Chicago street, while brief, can still look like old-school industrial Chicago here and there.
Note: I will not be able to restrain myself from pausing at Jefferson and 18th St. to salute my Great, Great Grandfather, Jacob Eberth. Jacob Eberth owned a tavern at that corner which did NOT burn down in 1871, in spite of being 1 mile due south of Mrs. O'Leary's barn.
William M. Larrabee managed railroads in Chicago in the mid-1800s. That is the sum total I've figured out about Mr. Larrabee. What's confusing is that another William Larrabee was the Governor of Iowa, and he didn't like railroads one bit. How little did he like railroads? "The Railroad Question: A Historical and Practical Treatise on Railroads and Remedies for their Abuses"
Larrabee street is mostly noteworthy for what is not there anymore. Ogden Ave. Cabrini Green. An entire section of Old Town. The Brick of Chicago tour of Old Town devotes a good portion to the destruction of Larrabee and the fight that locals lost to save it, if you're eager to learn more.
Geneva Terrace? I have no explanation for Geneva Terrace. Why wasn't "Larrabee" good enough for those 4 blocks, huh?