History of Chicago

Front

Fort Dearborn

Back

A fort built by the United States Army in 1803 in what is now Chicago, Illinois.

Front

Portage

Back

A land route between two bodies of water, significant in the development of Chicago as a trade hub.

Front

Fur Trade

Back

An economic activity involving the exchange of animal pelts, which played a crucial role in Chicago's early economy.

Front

Potawatomie

Back

A Native American tribe that inhabited the Chicago area before European settlement.

Front

John Kinzie

Back

An early settler in Chicago, known as the 'father of Chicago' for his role in the city's development.

Front

Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable

Back

Considered the first permanent non-Indigenous settler of Chicago, establishing a trading post in the late 18th century.

Front

Jacques Marquette

Back

A French Jesuit missionary who, along with Louis Jolliet, explored the Chicago area in the 17th century.

Front

Louis Jolliet

Back

A French-Canadian explorer who, with Jacques Marquette, mapped the Mississippi River and explored the Chicago region.