Historic photo shows Madison Street after a 1918 snowstorm
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A 1918 photo of downtown Chicago. Photo: Chicago Sun-Times/Chicago Daily News collection/Chicago History Museum/Getty Images
This week's "History Mystery" features this archival photo of a bustling downtown Chicago street after a snowstorm in 1918.
The big picture: Several clues tell us it was taken near the corner of Madison and Wells streets in the Loop.
The intrigue: The photo gives us a glimpse into wartime Chicago. The wide banner above the street advertises a $3,000,000 war fund for the Knights of Columbus.
- Also, the streetcars and the horse and buggies! Automobiles are prevalent at this point in history, but don't totally take over transportation until the 1920s.
Zoom in: The biggest clue is the restaurant sign in the bottom right corner of this photograph. The sign partially reads "Vogel," which, when zoomed out, would be Vogelsang's Restaurant at 173 W. Madison Street.
- The restaurant was reportedly notorious for big business meetings and was demolished just a year after this photo was taken.
- It also appears that the photo was taken from above, which could be from the Wells Street "L" platform, built at the turn of the 20th century and still in operation today.
Zoom out: The current stretch of Madison east of Wells Street does not have the same charm as this photo captured over 100 years ago, but it still is a hustling and bustling downtown street.
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