406 CHICAGO tributed by English authors and publishers in 1872. It will occupy the custom house and post office of 1871, the walls of which were left standing. The Christian union has a libra- ry, reading room, gymnasium, &c., and even- ing classes in languages, art, and science ; the total expense to each member being $1 per year. The young men's Christian association, organized March 28, 1858, will probably soon erect a new building, to take the place of their magnificent Far well hall, burned down in 1871. The newspaper press of Chicago has wide circulation and influence. The first was the "Democrat," established in 1833 by John Wentworth, which in 1861 was merged in the "Tribune," established in June, 1847, original- ly whig, afterward republican, now free-trade independent. The "Evening Journal," pro- tectionist republican, was established in 1844; the "Times," free-trade democratic, in 1854; the "Evening Post," free-trade republican, in 1865 ; the " Inter-Ocean," protectionist repub- lican, in 1872, succeeding the "Republican;" the "Evening Mail," independent, in 1869; and the Staats-Zeitung, German, republican, in 1846. There are two other German dailies, several secular weeklies, four religious week- lies ("Advance," "Interior," "Northwestern Christian Advocate," and "Standard"), one scientific, three literary, and several medical monthlies. The total number of dailies, week- lies, and monthlies is about 80, not including mere advertising sheets, programmes, and cir- culars. Since 1860 the city has been a promi- nent art centre. Several galleries and the acade- my of design were burned in 1871 ; the latter will be reestablished. Before the fire Chicago was liberally supplied with places of amuse- ment. Of first-class theatres, McVicker'a and Hooley's are rebuilt; Aiken's, the academy of music, and Myers's are new. The mag- nificent opera house, erected in 1864, and the museum, in 1868, had not been repro- duced in 1872. The board of trade is an in- fluential commercial body of nearly 1,400 mem- bers, organized in 1850. It meets daily in the chamber of commerce. Chicago had three taverns in 1830, and not less than four hotels in 1835; the oldest now existing is the Tre- mont, built in 1834. Since then the city has been noted for the extent of its hotel accommodations. Nine extensive hotels have been rebuilt since the fire, at a cost of more than $8,000,000, which, with 12 or 15 smaller ones, more than restore the original accom- modations for travellers. All are much su- perior in appearance and comfort to those destroyed, most of them containing fewer rooms and better furniture. The following countries are represented by consuls in Chi- cago : Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Nether- lands, Sweden, and Switzerland. Chicago, almost equally with Brooklyn, is entitled to be called a city of churches. The Methodists were the pioneers in worship. They were represented there by the Rev. Jesse Walker; the first quarterly meeting was held in the autumn of 1833, and the first regular class was formed the following spring. The first Pres- byterian church was organized June 26, 1833, with the Rev. Jeremiah Porter as pastor, 25 members from the garrison and 9 citizens. Other churches began as follows : Baptist, Oct. 19, 1833; Roman Catholic (built), 1833-'4 ; Episcopal, 1834; Unitarian, 1836; New Jeru- salem, 1843; Jewish, 1847; Universalist, 1850; Congregational, 1851. The following were the structures the day before the fire; the congregations were widely scattered by the calamity, but most of the church edifices de- stroyed have since been rebuilt, and the mem- bership is probably greater now than then: Baptist, 20 churches, 8 missions; Christian, 4 societies, 2 churches; Congregationalist, 18 churches, 2 missions; Episcopal, 15 churches, 4 missions; Evangelical, 17 churches; Inde- pendent, 1 church, 5 missions; Jewish, 5 syn- agogues; Lutheran, 6 churches, 1 mission; Methodist, 21 churches ; Presbyterian, 19 churches, 8 missions ; Roman Catholic, 25 churches, 12 convents and schools; New Jeru- salem, 2 churches, 2 missions; Unitarian, 3 churches and one other society; Universalist, 3 churches and a fourth society; Friends, 2 societies; miscellaneous, 4 churches. Total, 156 structures, a large proportion of which were fine stone edifices, 86 Protestant missions or societies not owning buildings, and 12 Cath- olic convents or schools. Total attendance, 150,000; number of Sunday school scholars, 57,000 ; value of church property, with lands, $10,850,000, or an average of $69 to each attendant on church worship. Long be- fore the site of Chicago was visited by a white man, it was a favorite rendezvous for several Indian tribes in succession. The ear- liest recorded were the Tamarons, the most powerful of many tribes of the Illini (whence the name Illinois). The word Chicago is In- dian, probably corrupted from Cheecaqua, the name of a long line of chiefs, meaning "strong ;" also applied to a wild onion that grew plen- tifully on the banks of the river. The first geographical notice occurs in a map dated Que- bec, Canada, 1683, as "Fort Checagou." It was first visited by Marquette, a French Jesuit missionary, in 1673, who returned and camped near the site during the winter of 1674-'5. It was visited about the same time by Joliet, and subsequently by Ilennepin and La Salle, and other French explorers. The first fort was probably built by the French, and abandoned when Canada was ceded to Great Britain. Fort Dearborn was built in 1804 by the United States government, on the south bank of the river, near its mouth. When the war with Great Britain broke out in 1812, the govern- ment ordered the fort to be abandoned, fearing it could not be held. On Aug. 15 Capt. Heald marched out with the garrison and others, and when a mile and a half from the fort he was
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