Goose Island (Chicago)

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This article is about the island in the North Branch of the Chicago River on the north side of Chicago. For the Goose Island Brewery, see Goose Island Brewery.
Goose Island
Goose Island Chicago Open Street Map.png
Street map of Goose Island
Geography
Location Chicago River
Coordinates 41°54′16″N 87°39′15″W / 41.90444°N 87.65417°W / 41.90444; -87.65417Coordinates: 41°54′16″N 87°39′15″W / 41.90444°N 87.65417°W / 41.90444; -87.65417
Area 160 acres (65 ha)
Length 1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Width 0.5 mi (0.8 km)
Country
United States
State Illinois
City Chicago

Goose Island is the only island on the Chicago River in Illinois. It is an artificial island, formed by the North Branch of the Chicago River on the west and the North Branch Canal on the east. It covers 160 acres (0.65 km2), and is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and 0.5 miles (0.80 km) across at its widest point.[1]

Contents

Early history [edit]

The name Goose Island may have originally referred to a small natural island at the north side of the confluence of the North and South Branches of the Chicago River that was home to seasonal flocks of birds.[2] In the late 1840s the surrounding area was on the fringes of Chicago and a group of Irish immigrants started squatting on the unoccupied land around what is now Kinzie Street, between Franklin Street and the river. This settlement may have been known as Kilgubbin (or kilgobbin),[1] named after the area of County Cork, Ireland that had been the former home many of the immigrants.[2] The squatters eventually moved the Kilgubbin settlement a short distance north to an area on the east side of the river between Chicago Avenue and Division Street, on site of the present-day Goose Island.[2][3] The original Goose Island had been dredged away by 1865.[4]

The land that was to become the present-day Goose Island lies on a bend in the Chicago River between North Avenue on the north and Chicago Avenue on the south. In 1853 William B. Ogden, who had been Chicago's first mayor, formed the Chicago Land Company, which purchased land on the east side of the river to excavate clay for brick-making.[5] Starting from the south, workers excavated a channel northwards, and by 1857 the channel had rejoined the river forming a shortcut past the bend in the river. The channel was eventually dredged to 50 feet (15 m) wide and 10 feet (3.0 m) deep to make it navigable, and it became known as the North Branch Canal, or Ogden's Canal.[1][5] The island thus created was also sometimes nicknamed Ogden's Island,[5][6] a name that some Chicago aldermen proposed to make the official name of the island in 1891.[7] The name Goose Island, may refer to the earlier location of the Kilgubbin settlement close to the original Goose Island,[2] or it may have been in reference to the flocks of geese kept by the settlers on the island.[6]

The settlers were eventually joined by Polish and German immigrants to the city. For most of the residents, daily life hovered between rural and urban, with many raising livestock while also working in nearby factories. Over 100 units of housing were built in a three-block area to accommodate the new residents. Various taverns and bars also opened, which became the center of activity for the island's residents.[citation needed]

Industrialization [edit]

During the late 19th century Peoples Gas, Light & Coke Co. purchased land at the east of the island for industrial plants. The area was nicknamed "Little Hell" because of the smoke produced by the plants. By 1887 there were two grain elevators, eleven coal yards, and a railroad among other industrial institutions. By the turn of the 20th century many residents began to move off the island. Many businesses also deserted the island.

Etymological speculation [edit]

As recently as 2012, some have speculated that the origin of the name "Goose Island" is due to the particular shape that the Chicago River creates between West Chicago Ave and just south of West Cortland Street. It appears to form the shape of a goose, from beak to tail feathers, in a North to South orientation.

Access [edit]

Goose Island is crossed by Division Street, running east–west, and Halsted Street, which runs north–south across the southeast portion of the island.[8] Ogden Avenue also crossed the island on a viaduct that opened in 1934, but this was demolished in 1992 following the closure of the section of Ogden Avenue that ran to the north-east of the island.[9]

In 1869 Division Street was connected to the island with the construction of bridge across the river; a second bridge across the canal was added in 1870.[10] These bridges were replaced with the present bascule bridges in 1904 and 1903 respectively.[11] In 1877 Halsted Street was connected to the island with bridge across the canal;[12] a bridge across the river was added in 1897 to complete the north-south route.[13]

The Cherry Avenue Bridge provides railroad access to the island at its northern tip. The Chicago and Pacific Railroad constructed railroad onto Goose Island in the 1870s.[14] This company was absorbed into the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway in 1880.[15] Operation of the surviving railroad on Goose Island was taken over by the Soo Line Railroad in 1986, and then by the Chicago Terminal Railroad in January 2007.

Notes [edit]

  1. ^ a b c Hill, The Chicago River, p. 86.
  2. ^ a b c d Duis, Challenging Chicago, p. 94.
  3. ^ Cutler, Irving (2006). Chicago, Metropolis of the Mid-Continent (4th ed.). SIU Press. p. 60. ISBN 0-8093-2702-3. 
  4. ^ Kirkland, Joseph (1892). The Story of Chicago. Chicago: Dibble Publishing Company. p. 277. OCLC 181674512. 
  5. ^ a b c Duis, Challenging Chicago, p. 95.
  6. ^ a b Solzman, The Chicago River, p. 90.
  7. ^ Duis, Challenging Chicago, p. 107.
  8. ^ Google. "Google Maps". Retrieved 2009-01-13. 
  9. ^ Chrucky, Serhii. "The Extension and Removal of Ogden Avenue". Forgotten Chicago. Retrieved 2009-12-16. 
  10. ^ "East Division Street Bridge, Spanning North Branch Canal at West Division Stree, Chicago, Cook County, IL". Historic American Engineering Record. Retrieved 2009-12-16. 
  11. ^ "West Division Street Bridge, Spanning North Branch of Chicago River at West Div, Chicago, Cook County, IL". Historic American Engineering Record. Retrieved 2009-12-16. 
  12. ^ "North Halsted Street Canal Bridge, Spanning North Branch Canal at North Halsted Stree, Chicago, Cook County, IL". Historic American Engineering Record. Retrieved 2009-12-16. 
  13. ^ "Chicago River Bascule Bridges, Spanning Chicago River & its north & south branches, Chicago, Cook County, IL". Historic American Engineering Record. Retrieved 2009-12-16. 
  14. ^ Cary, John W. (1892). The Organization and History of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. Milwaukee: Press of Cramer, Aikens, & Cramer. p. 253. OCLC 11226190. 
  15. ^ Duis, Perry (1998). Challenging Chicago. University of Illinois Press. p. 97. ISBN 0-252-02394-3. 

Bibliography [edit]

  • Duis, Perry (1998). Challenging Chicago: Coping With Everyday Life, 1837–1920. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-02394-3. 
  • Hill, Libby (2000). The Chicago River: A Natural and Unnatural History. Chicago: Lake Claremont Press. ISBN 1-893121-02-X. 
  • Solzman, David M. (2006). The Chicago River: An Illustrated History and Guide to the River and Its Waterways (2nd ed.). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-76801-5. 

External links [edit]

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