History Lover's Guide to Chicago, A (History & Guide). This item is unavailable.History Lover's Guide to Chicago, A (History & Guide)

Founded next to a great lake and a sluggish river, Chicago grew faster than any city ever has. Splendid department stores created modern retailing, and the skyscraper was invented to handle the needs of booming businesses in an increasingly concentrated downtown. The stockyards fed the world, and railroads turned the city into the nation's transportation hub. A great fire leveled the city, but Chicago rose again. Glorious museums, churches and theaters sprang up. Explore a missile site that became a bird sanctuary and discover how Chicago's first public library came to be located in an abandoned water tank. Follow the steps of business leaders and society dames, anarchists and army generals, and learn whose ashes were surreptitiously sprinkled over Wrigley Field. Combining years of research and countless miles of guided tours, author Greg Borzo pursues Chicago's sweeping historical arc through its fascinating nooks and crannies.

Greg Borzo is an award-winning journalist and writer. He has written several books, including The Chicago L; Chicago Cable Cars; RAGBRAI: America's Favorite Bicycle Ride; Where to Bike Chicago; Chicago's Fabulous Fountains; and Lost Restaurants of Chicago. He's a reviewer for the Chicago Writer's Association, a lecturer at Harper College and Oakton Community College and the treasurer and program chair of the Society of Midland Authors. Borzo is a member of the Chicago Tour-Guide Professional Association and has led walking, biking and bus tours around Chicago for the Chicago History Museum, Chicago Cycling Club, Forgotten Chicago, Women Bike Chicago, Biketropolis, tour groups and other organizations. He would welcome speaking engagements and tour requests, as well as any reactions to this book.