Реферат: Chicago Essay Research Paper ChicagoWritten byTim Schoch

largest on the Great Lakes, handles mostly grain and iron ore.

Chicago has many Universities. The University of Chicago is one of the most

prestigious private universities in the country. Other institutions are the Illinois Institute of

Technology, Northwestern University, and the Roman Catholic-supported Loyola and

DePaul universities.

Chicago has long been a cultural center. The Art Institute of Chicago has a

world-famous collection. The Museum of Contemporary Art was founded in 1967.

Scientific institutions include the Field Museum of Natural History, the Adler Planetarium,

and the Shedd Aquarium–all in lakefront Grant Park–and the nearby Museum of Science

and Industry. The city is home to the Chicago Civic Opera and the world-famous Chicago

Symphony Orchestra.

The site of Chicago had long been an important portage point on the water route

linking the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River. The United States bought a tract from

the Indians in 1795, and the original settlement was a cluster of traders’ shacks outside Fort

Dearborn. After the opening of the Erie Canal, Chicago became the center of the

westward movement, and the arrival in the 1850’s of the first railroad from the east assured

its growth. Industry developed along with transportation, and steel production was a major

boost to the city’s economy. Lumbering and meat-processing plants were also established;

the Union Stock Yards opened in 1865 and successfully operated for more than a century.

Just as Chicago was emerging as a major city, a devastating fire swept through part

of the city, leaving almost 100,000 people homeless and causing millions of dollars in

damage. The city began a rebuilding program, using stone to replace wooden buildings

and creating one of the first modern fire departments in America. Chicago was the site of

the WORLD’S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION OF 1893.

A second major surge of growth occurred toward the turn of the century, when

thousands of European immigrants came to the city. As the labor movement began, union

organizational activities were often marred by violence on both sides–the HAYMARKET

RIOT and the PULLMAN STRIKE were two examples.

At the same time, movement to the suburbs began, and during the 20th century the city’s