There were slaughterhouses up and down the north and south branches of the chicago river. Business in the older railroad stockyards and city packinghouses declined sharply in the 1960s. Imagine a map that has been broken up into puzzle pieces, each of which is an identifiable unit of some kind. Chicago officially became a city in the state of illinois in 1837. An encyclopedia of chicago food classic chicago magazine. The jungle is a 1906 novel by the american journalist and novelist upton sinclair 18781968. He first published the novel in serial form in 1905 in the newspaper, and it was published as a book by doubleday in 1906. In november and december of 1904, the new york writer upton sinclair spent seven weeks in chicagos meatpacking districtthe union stock yard and the surrounding neighborhood, known as packingtown or back of the yards. Chicagos encyclopedia tells the urban story by varner. Today, chicago is the third largest city in the united states with a population of about 2. The chicago food encyclopedia illuminates and celebrates the citys culinary significance. The yards inspired upton sinclair to write his book the jungle. By the late 19th century, the first black person had been elected to office. Upton sinclair biography life, family, story, death, wife, young, son.
In 1904, sinclair had spent seven weeks gathering information while working incognito in the meatpacking plants of the chicago stockyards for the socialist newspaper appeal to reason. Conditions in meatpacking plants 1906, by upton sinclair. American author upton sinclair 18781968 is best known for his popular 1906 work the jungle, a depiction of the corruption, filth, and cruelty he witnessed while undercover in the chicago meatpacking industry. Meatpacking definition is the wholesale meat industry. Workers and change in the rural midwest studies in rural culture deborah fink on. Sinclair wrote the novel to portray the harsh conditions and exploited lives of immigrants in the united states in chicago and similar industrialized cities. Meatpacking district, manhattan forgotten new york. Hanley, milwaukee journal sentinel, were going to work and putting our families at risk.
The completion of the erie canal linked illinois, through the great lakes, to the eastern seaboard of the united states. This item appears in the collections dissent and democracy in modern american history, chicago workers during the long gilded age, and subversives in the city. Meatpacking article about meatpacking by the free dictionary. The jungle is a novel by upton sinclair, published serially in 1905 and as a book in 1906. Al capone remained part of chicago s image long after his downfall, kept alive in popular memory by books, television, and movies, as well as by geraldo riveras anticlimactic live television stunt in 1986, in which he had capones purported secret vault in the basement of the lexington hotel blasted open, revealing only an empty chamber. The chicago food encyclopedia by haddix, craig, and sen is a free netgalley ebook that i read in early september. Most immigrants came to the united states with little or no money at all, in hope of making a. Though intended to create sympathy for the exploited and poorly treated immigrant workers in the meatpacking industry, the novel instead. One of the great american metropolises, chicago rises out of the prairie in the heart of the country.
Bubbly creek originates near 38th street, at the racine avenue pump station of the metropolitan water reclamation district of greater chicago. The great plains meatpacking industry continues to attract mexicans and other latinos because of the labor needs of processing plants that have moved from the big urban centers to the plains rural areas and small towns like lexington, nebraska, and emporia and garden city, kansas. Utterly disturbing, centuryold photos of meatpacking. Upton sinclair and the chicago meatpacking industry in 1900, there were over 1.
Fugitive slaves and freedmen established the citys first black community in the 1840s. The history of african americans in chicago dates back to jean baptiste point du sables trading activities in the 1780s. Conditions in meatpacking plants 1906, by upton sinclairthe explosive growth of american industry in the late nineteenth century caused a similar expansion in the work force. Dec 23, 2015 a depiction of the decline of the union stockyards as major meatpacking companies relocated. The preparation of beef and pork for human consumption has always been closely tied to livestock raising, technological change, government regulation, and urban market demand. During the same period, its facility in omaha, nebraska boomed as well, making the citys. The chicago food encyclopedia is an historical treat a new reference guide is a fun and mouthwatering way to learn about the city. Meatpacking definition of meatpacking by merriamwebster. By 1880, the company had become chicago s most important business and had helped make chicago and its union stock yards the center of americas meatpacking industry. The words of the late pulitzer prize winning author upton sinclair only begin to tell the story of the beginning of the chicago meatpacking business. The first meatpacking business began in 1692, when john pynchon of springfield, massachusetts, began buying hogs and shipping the meat to boston for the growing city population and the provisioning of ships. It flows in a generally northward direction for approximately 6,600 feet 2,000 m, and joins with the south branch of the chicago river.
The district was operated by a group of railroad companies that acquired marshland and turned it into a centralized processing area. Recent examples on the web in cudahy, the union that represents workers at smithfield foods inc. The jungle simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. At the end of the twentieth century, the meatpacking industry was widely dispersed but still under government regulation. By 1880, the company had become chicagos most important business and had helped make chicago and its union stock yards the center of americas meatpacking industry. Includes set of detailed articles and maps on chicago s industries, people, culture, sports, surrounding cities and towns, politics and more, mainly with a historical perspective. Source for information on conditions in meatpacking plants 1906, by upton sinclair. Newberry library 60 west walton street chicago il 60610 3122553610 after the talk, our speakers will sign copies of the book, which will be available for purchase. Which means it must be time for another industrial renovation project to get underway in chicagos former meatpacking district. The illinois waterway links chicago to the mississippi basin as the old chicago and illinois and michigan canals once did, and the st. The chicago meatpacking and shipping business exploded. Photographs from chicagos meatpacking industry, circa 1900 posted on january 16, 2012 1 comment men standing on wooden beams between the cattle yards in chicago, c. Armour and company project gutenberg selfpublishing. There is no other source that contains the breadth and depth of information found here.
Although now much smaller in scale, meatpacking was one of milwaukees leading industries through much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the most prominent form of food processing in the city. Meatpacking definition of meatpacking by the free dictionary. People working, playing, fighting, organizing, relaxing, politicking, loving, hating, building, and everything else that makes a city hum. The encyclopedia of chicago was developed by the newberry library with the cooperation of the chicago historical society and is published by the university of chicago press. The jungle is a 1906 novel written by journalist upton sinclair. Meatpacker article about meatpacker by the free dictionary. The answers to these and many other questions can be found in a forthcoming reference work, the encyclopedia of chicago history, scheduled for publication in 2001. Modern meatpacking dates from the introduction of refrigerated railway cars. Working conditions in the new urban industrial zones were wretched, and a progressive reform movement soon grew out of the need to address the health and welfare of the american worker. Also in 1906 sinclairs the jungle, a novel exposing unfair labor practices and unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking factories of chicago, illinois, was a. All things foodexcept ketchupin the city of the big appetites. Researching the book in 1904, upton sinclair interviewed fellow socialists.
American author upton sinclair 18781968 is best known for his popular 1906 work the jungle, a depiction of the corruption, filth, and cruelty he witnessed while undercover in. One of the great american metropolises, chicago rises out of the prairie in the heart of the country, buffeted by winds coming off the plains and cooled by the. The industry and city grew together as firms slaughtered, processed, and packaged livestockparticularly hogs and cattlefrom hinterland farms, distributing products for regional. The yards inspired upton sinclair to write his book the jungle the stockyards became the important point of the rise of some of the earliest international companies. The chicago food encyclopedia is a farranging portrait of an american culinary paradise. The chicago food encyclopedia by carol mighton haddix. Lawrence seaway provides access for oceangoing vessels. Upton beall sinclair socialist, meat, book, and industry jrank. Hundreds of entries deliver all of the visionary restauranteurs, michelin superstars, beloved haunts, and food companies of today and yesterday.
Most immigrants came to the united states with little or no money at all, in hope of making a better life for themselves. Carol mighton haddix is the former food editor of the chicago tribune, bruce kraig is. The encyclopedia of chicago is a must purchase for every academic, public. The jungle, americas most influential proletarian novel, emerged from a sevenweek investigation of chicagos slaughterhouses. The chicago food encyclopedia is an historical treat. It is a joint effort involving the newberry library, the chicago historical society, and the university of chicago press. Buy a cheap copy of the encyclopedia of chicago book. Oct 09, 2017 chicago officially became a city in the state of illinois in 1837. The business or activity of slaughtering animals and preparing the meat for sale. One year later, plankinton formed a partnership with the budding mogul, philip armour. It was brought to notoriety by upton sinclair in his expose on the american meat packing industry titled the jungle. Truly an encyclopedia about food set against the backdrop of history with the production, distribution, purveyors, chefcooks, restaurants, neighborhoods, and trends that chicago uniquely has to offer. Chicagos union stock yards 1865 was the nations largest livestock and packing center until the mid20th cent.
Jeppsons malort, julia child foundation, les dames escoffier chicago, meatpacking industry, railroad, mickey. Inspired by the union stock yards in chicago, sinclair wrote this book to show the sufferings of the working class and to show the corruption of the american meatpacking industry during the early20th century. The nostalgic vision of a rural midwest populated by independent family farmers hides the reality that rural wage labor has been integral to the regions development. This is a superb readyreference work on chicago, a good starting point for students doing research, and just a wonderful book to browse through. The nightmare of the chicago meatpacking industry was described as follows. In 1884, armour left the company to lead his familys meatpacking operation in chicago. The meatpacking district will be gone over the next decade.
The book writes about the poverty, bad living and working conditions, and sorrow among the working class. A quick glance at the calendar reveals that today is tuesday. Upton beall sinclair was a famous american writer and essayist whose book the jungle, an expose of chicagos meatpacking industry, shocked the nation and. Each of the railroads had one or more stockyards sort of. A depiction of the decline of the union stockyards as major meatpacking companies relocated. An expose of the american meatpacking industry and the horrors endured by immigrant workers generated public outrage resulting in passage of federal legislation that improved food quality and working conditions. By the 1890s, the railroad money behind the union stockyards was vanderbilt money. Essay on upton sinclair and the chicago meatpacking industry. From the earliest days of european american settlement, cattle were raised on the plains extensive pastureland.
Utterly disturbing, centuryold photos of meatpacking facilities. It was closed in 1971, because it was unable to compete with newer, more modern facilities. Chicago s union stock yards 1865 was the nations largest livestock and packing center until the mid20th cent. The largest city of the american midwest, chicago, illinois, was founded in 1830 and quickly grew to become, as carl sandburgs 1916 poem put it, hog butcher. The encyclopedia of chicago is a mapping of chicagos geographic turf, complemented by a comparable cartography of boundaries that are more conceptual and topical than spatial. Includes set of detailed articles and maps on chicagos industries, people, culture, sports, surrounding cities and towns, politics and more, mainly with a historical perspective.
In the last third of the twentieth century the meatpacking industry became a major force in the social and economic transformation of small towns in the great plains. Truly an encyclopedia about food set against the backdrop of history with the production, distribution, purveyors, chefcooks, restaurants, neighborhoods, and trends that chicago uniquely has to. Meatpacking began as a local business in the colonial era, but by the dawn of the twentyfirst century it had become a huge industry. Upton sinclairs sensational novel the jungle 1906 led to the meat inspection act, which put federal inspectors in all packinghouses whose products entered. Department of agriculture report has an excellent description of one such chicago packinghouse. Researching the book in 1904, upton sinclair interviewed fellow socialists, settlement house officials, health inspectors, and the workers themselves, who smuggled him into meatpacking plants so he could view conditions firsthand. Frederick layton left john plankinton to form his own packing company with his father in 1863. Union stock yards simple english wikipedia, the free. He and his family live near the stockyards and meatpacking district where.