We spent the following day—Sunday—in Chicago which is perhaps the most remarkable city in the world for its rapid growth. Its history dates back to the year 1803, when Fort Dearborn was erected. Abandoned at the beginning of the war with Great Britain in 1812, it was destroyed by the Indians; but rebuilt in 1816. The town was organized in 1833, and the first charter of a city passed by the Legislature, March 4, 1837. A number of outlying suburbs of Chicago were annexed by popular vote so that the present area of the city covers 181 square miles; its population being about 1,400,000. When we consider the fact that in 1871 a great fire, sweeping over the business center of Chicago, laid more than 2,000 acres in ruins, and then reflect on the city of to-day, rebuilt in a style of great solidity and magnificence, with its innumerable handsome buildings of stupendous proportions—its six hundred beautiful churches—and its vast number of educational institutions, we cannot but admire the spirit of enterprise which evolved such wondrous prosperity in little more than two decades.
The destructive fire constituted the largest conflagration of modern times. Commencing by the overturning of a lamp in a district built up almost exclusively of wood, about nine o'clock in the evening of October 8, 1871, it continued through that night and the greater part of the next day. Finally, it was checked by the explosion of gunpowder, whereupon it exhausted itself by burning all there was to ignite within the confined space. Although 18,000 houses had been reduced to ashes, ten years thereafter all traces of the calamity had disappeared.
It would be impossible to give a description of all the fine buildings which have made Chicago famous. The principal hotel—probably the largest in the world—is the "Auditorium," having its dining halls on the tenth floor. All the conveniences that modern ingenuity has excogitated—in accordance with the requirements of the present era—have been introduced into this huge structure. It includes a theater having a seating capacity for 6,000 spectators.
The park system of Chicago is one of the most extensive in the world. Jackson and Washington Parks belong to the south division, whereas the western section inside the city limits comprises three; known as Humboldt, Garfield, and Douglas Parks. Their ornamentation is varied by superb flower-beds, fountains, statues, and monuments. Lincoln Park—including a zoological garden, and being romantically situated upon the lake shore in the northern portion of the city—constitutes a delightful place of amusement for pleasure-seekers. The parks are all connected by boulevards—some of them 200 feet wide—encircling the city, and affording a continuous drive of thirty-five miles.
The trade of Chicago is enormous. Its chief items are grain, live-stock, meat products, and lumber. It principally manufactures iron and steel, wood, brick, leather, chemicals, boots and shoes, cigars and tobacco.
The next day after our return to the Chicago Harbor in the evening, Mrs. Dr. McDonald of Chicago accompanied by her brother, Mr. Bernard, paid us a visit on board the "Marguerite." Miss Campbell made the acquaintance of this amiable lady during her last trip to Europe; and they were traveling-companions, spending many pleasant days journeying together in the old world.
The WOMAN'S BUILDING was the first structure to be inspected after our next arrival on the Exposition Grounds, according to the programme for that day. It represented a great museum filled with countless contributions made by women. The superb displays of paintings, ceramics, art work, manufactures, liberal arts, embroideries, fancy work, laces; moreover, dentistry, surgery, authorship, pedagogy, etc., and works of female artisans—evinced that womankind is able to compete with man, not only in the arts and sciences and in the more delicate achievements of handiwork, but in almost every department of human activity. Even the exterior of this handsome building, erected in the style of the Italian renaissance after the design of Miss Sophia G. Hayden of Boston—with its exquisite sculptural decorations—executed by Miss Alice Rideout of St. Francisco—bore testimony to the fact, that women are entitled to enter into competition with their male colleagues.
Here, we beheld exhibits forwarded to this unique structure by women of every clime and section of the globe. Even ladies of European monarchal families were represented—the Queen of England and her daughters by works of art—the Empresses of Germany, Russia, and Austria as well as the Queen of Italy by costly laces—often the work of their own hands—and invaluable jewels—with romantic histories.
The decorative needle-work exhibit constituted a very selected and complete collection; there being offered to view pieces of embroidery to the value of $8,000.
All that was to be seen in this edifice proved the opinion that women are justified in demanding a position equal to men.