ORIGINS OF CHICAGO PLACENAMES

ORIGINS OF CHICAGO PLACENAMES
KEY
STREET/AVENUE	NEIGHBORHOOD	OTHER

Altgeld Gardens	John Peter Altgeld (1847-1902), Governor from 1893-1897
Ashburn	The community served as dumping ground in the 1800s to the turn of the century for ashes collected from Chicagoan’s fireplaces and coal-fired furnaces.
Ashland Ave.	The Ashland estate of Kentucky statesman Henry Clay
Blue Island Ave.	Led to “Blue Island”, a ridge of land that appeared to be an island to pioneers.
Bridgeport	Claimed to be for a bridge over the Illinois and Michigan Canal, although there is no evidence that the bridge ever existed.
Bubbly Creek	The creek derives its name from the gases bubbling out of the riverbed from the decomposition of blood and entrails dumped into the river in the early 20th century by the local meatpacking businesses surrounding the Union Stockyards.
Bucktown	Residents kept goats in their yards
Canaryville	Refers to the sparrows who fed in the stockyards and railroad cars in the late 19th century. The name may also refer to youth gangs in the neighborhood, who were known as “wild canaries”.
Clybourn Ave.	Archibald Clybourn, the first police constable of Chicago
Constance Ave.	Konstanz, Germany
Cook County	Daniel Pope Cook, who served as the second U.S. Representative from Illinois and first Attorney General of the State of Illinois.
Damen Ave.	Father Arnold Damen, founder of St. Ingatius College Preparatory School.
Englewood	Englewood, NJ
Fullerton Ave.	Alexander N. Fullerton (1804-1880), lawyer and lumber magnate, who arrived in Chicago in 1833.
Garfield Park	The centerpiece of a three park and interlinking boulevard system, the 185-acre park (formerly Central Park) was renamed to honor twentieth President of the U.S. James A. Garfield after his assassination in 1881.
Grant Park	Ulysses S. Grant, eighteenth President of the U.S. Originally named Lake Park; it was renamed for Grant in 1901.
Halsted Street	William Ogden named it for William and Caleb Halsted, brothers from New York who developed parts of the Loop.
Hegewisch	Adolph Hegewisch, who laid out the town of Hegewisch which is now part of the 10th Ward of Chicago
Hirsch Street	Also Hirsch High School; rabbinical scholar Emil Gustav Hirsch
Hoyne Ave.	Named after Thomas Hoyne, who was elected to be mayor of Chicago, but was never allowed to take office.
Hyde Park	Named by developer Paul Cornell to evoke the wealth of Hyde Park, NY, and Hyde Park, London.
Jeffrey Boulevard	Edward T. Jeffery, Chief Engineer of the Illinois Central Railroad.
Kedzie Ave.	John H. Kedzie (1815-1903), an attorney who developed the North and West Sides of Chicago and parts of Evanston. He helped establish the Republican Party in Illinois.
Lake Shore Drive	The downtown portion opened as Leif Ericson Drive in 1937 and was also called Field Boulevard, but in 1946 was renamed Lake Shore Drive.
Maxwell Street	Dr. Phillip Maxwell, one of Chicago’s first surgeons.
North Ave.	Was the northern boundary of the city when the street was named.
Ogden Ave.	William Butler Ogden, first mayor of Chicago
Randolph St.	Named for Randolph County, Illinois as was part of the original plot of Chicago.
Rush St.	Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Rush Street dated back to the 1830s incorporation of Chicago.
Sibley Boulevard	Known as 147th Street (Sibley Street in Hammond, Indiana only
Southport Ave.	Led to Kenosha, Wisconsin, which was formerly named Southport.
Stony Island Ave.	Leads to Stony Island, a ridge of land that appeared to be an island to pioneers.
Torrence Ave.	Named for Civil War General Joseph T. Torrence. He led the Chicago militia during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877.
Vincennes Ave.	Led to Fort Vincennes, Indiana
Wacker Dr.	Charles H. Wacker, chairman of the Chicago Plan Commission, who pushed the idea of a double decked roadway along the Chicago River.
Western Ave.	Was the western boundary of the city when the street was named.