CHICAGO

Three hundred years ago, no one would have guessed that a swamp best known for its smelly wild onions would grow into the “Paris of the Prairie.” This month’s issue of COBBLESTONE takes readers through Chicago’s transformation from swamp to America’s Second City. The one thing that has never changed about Chicago? It’s always been full of surprises. Check out dramatic pictures of the Great Fire of 1871, which destroyed much of the city, and see how Chicago rebuilt itself stronger than ever. In its turbulent history, brilliant inventors, ambitious black workers, curious tourists, famous politicians, and notorious gangsters have all been drawn to the city. Home of invention and industry, skyscrapers, the world’s first Ferris wheel, and many amazing museums, nothing compares to a visit to Chicago— except maybe reading this month’s fantastic articles, including:

First Settlement by Andrew Matthews

Midwest Hub by Andrew Matthews

City on Fire by Barbara Brooks Simons

Chicago’s Makers and Shakers by Will Bremen

Labor Wars by Eric Arnesen

Come to the Fair! by Barbara Brooks Simons

Building Boom by Will Bremen

Gangsters! By Marcia Amidon Lusted

Black Metropolis: The Great Migration by Eric Arnesen

Chicago-Style Softball by Andrew Matthews

Seeing the Sites by Marcia Amidon Lusted

Regular features include: Editor’s Note, Mapping It!, Did You Know, Going Global, Freeze Frame, Your Letters, Just for Fun, Dr. D’s Mystery Hero, Spotlight On…, Say What, Cartoon Connection, and a crossword puzzle.