Wicker Park Walk

Joe Steffen will lead a 1.5 hour, 2.2 mile walk through the Wicker Park Landmark District (http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/landmarksweb/web/districtdetails.htm?disId=36), following this route (http://www.walkjogrun.net/routes/current_route.cfm?rid=9DCA8D20-C013-9B09-1FCA7E160A850F6D). Wicker Park (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicker_Park,_Chicago) began in 1870 as a working-class neighborhood of German and Scandinavian immigrants, joined by a few wealthy foreign-born families who were not welcome in the wealthy neighborhoods of the American-born. We will see the former homes of novelist Nelson Algren (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Algren) at 1958 Evergreen, and anarchist August Spies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Spies) at 2132 Potomac, who was executed for speaking at the Haymarket Riot (http://history1800s.about.com/od/organizedlabor/a/haymarket01.htm). We will walk even if it is raining, so bring an umbrella or poncho. Please do not bring your dog.

Although hundreds of people may RSVP Yes, only about half will attend, and I have a portable public address system so you will be able to hear me no matter how large the crowd is.

Directions: CTA: Take the Blue Line to Damen, and walk 2 blocks south.Driving: There is limited free parking on Schiller St. west of the park.
If you arrive after we have departed, walk 1 block south to Evergreen Ave. and wait for us.

If you have a smart phone and are good with maps, touching the meet up location "Wicker Park" shows a map with a pinpoint on the exact location. Touching the phrase “following this route" shows the route map so you can try to find us if you are late.

This is the first of about 20 different walks that I will be leading through the historic neighborhoods and parks of Chicago and nearby suburbs. These will be at an easy walking pace of about 2 miles/hour with stops to listen to my brief historical and architectural descriptions, and to give you time to take photos of the historic houses. My walks are a compromise between the fast pace of walks purely for exercise, and the slow pace and detailed information of the tours given by the Chicago Architecture Foundation and Chicago History Museum.

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