Lincoln Park is located three miles north of downtown Chicago. The very first inhabitants of the area, known today as Lincoln Park, were Native Americans. Later, during the early part of the 19th century, industrial workers began living near the factories along the North Branch of the Chicago River. Truck farmers also moved to the area; they raised vegetables to sell in city markets. Their most popular product was cabbage, earning the area the nickname “Cabbage Patch”.
The southeastern corner of the area became a cemetery in 1837, but the graves were a health hazard because they were so close to the city’s water table. The graves were moved, and in 1864, the land was turned into a large park stretching along the lakefront from North Avenue to Diversey Parkway. This park was originally named Lake Park. Lake Park was renamed Lincoln Park the next year in honor of Abraham Lincoln after he was tragically assassinated.
Most of the city of Chicago was destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire, including most of the homes and businesses in Lincoln Park. However, three homes survived the fire: one on North Hudson Street and two on North Cleveland Street. Following the fire, rich white business owners built large mansions in East Lincoln Park, while factories and industrial areas were built in West Lincoln Park. These areas have been redeveloped into residential and shopping areas over the last several decades. Today, Lincoln Park is bordered by the lake on the east and the Chicago River on the west, and by North Avenue on the south and Diversey Parkway on the north.
Just north of Lincoln Park is a neighborhood called Lakeview, while just west of Lincoln Park is Logan Square. Just south of Lincoln Park are Old Town and the Gold Coast. Some of the famous landmarks in Lincoln Park include Lincoln Park Zoo, which first opened its doors in 1868, just four years after the park was established. Another famous landmark is the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, located on Clark Street, although it’s just a parking lot today.
The Chicago History Museum is also another famous landmark. Oz Park was named because fans of the series “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” would gather in the park annually to celebrate its author, L. Frank Baum. In the movie “The Wizard of Oz”, Baum was a Chicago resident and newspaper reporter. You can see statues of Dorothy and Toto, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow in the park.
Diversey Driving Range is where the mighty DePaul Prep golf team practices so they can be the best high school golf team. DePaul Prep University, the largest Catholic university in the United States, is located here. Some of the important businesses include Theater on the Lake, which was used as a tuberculosis sanitarium for children until 1939.
Doctors thought the breeze of the lake would help them recover from the disease that affected their airways. It was converted into a theater in 1953 but reopened in 2018 after a $7 million renovation. Wiener Circle on Clark is the most famous hot dog stand in Chicagoland, attracting people from across the world to get yelled at and publicly humiliated by the workers.
The Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue, just north of Fullerton, is famous because John Dillinger, one of the most wanted criminals at the time, was shot in the alley next to the theater on July 22nd, 1934. Today, you can still see a play at the Biograph Theater or just see the mural of him in the same alley. Mars Wrigley Global headquarters are located on Goose Island in Lincoln Park. The population of Lincoln Park is actually more diverse today than it was in 1930, with 78.7% white, 6.7% Asian, 6.2% Hispanic, 4.9% Black, and 3% other.
