Chicago Calamities: Disaster in the Windy City

By Gayle Soucek

The story of Chicago is often likened to that of a phoenix rising out of the ashes of the Great Fire. Yet that infamous event was only part of the destruction that has shaped Chicago's identity. Discover here the larger narrative of calamities that have befallen the Windy City, such as the 1954 killer water surge that swept in on a calm summer day, the 1967 tornado that ripped through rush hour traffic, the 1886 Haymarket Square riot that put Chicago on the anarchist map and many other acts of nature and human folly. As you witness a fireproof theater burn, a flood rise up without rain and one of the greatest maritime disasters occur within city limits, encounter both unexpected tragedies and unlikely heroes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The History Press
• Release date: Nov 29, 2010
• ISBN: 9781614232742

Gayle Soucek

Gayle Soucek is an author, historian and freelance editor with more than a dozen books and numerous magazine articles to her credit, including Haunted Door County; Door County Tales: Shipwrecks, Cherries and Goats on the Roof; and Chicago Calamities: Disaster in the Windy City. Gayle and her photographer husband divide their time between their home in a Chicago suburb and a second home in Gills Rock, Wisconsin, directly overlooking the Death's Door passage. It's this proximity to the rich history and unexplained events that occur along the Lake Michigan shoreline that inspired this book on the Lake Michigan Triangle.

Reviews for Chicago Calamities

[meggle_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Chicago Calamities is a quick book to read. It recounts some of the most infamous disasters of the windy city such as the Great Fire and the Haymarket Square riots but also some that are much less known like the 1954 killer water surge. Each disaster has its own short chapter and pictures. Overall, it's a good jumping off point in finding topics to read further on.