Etymologies of place names in Chicago, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Source of the place names in the city of Chicago, Illinois.
| Place Name | Source |
|---|---|
| Addison Street | Thomas Addison, English doctor, discoverer of Addison's disease |
| Archer Avenue | Col. William Archer |
| Artesian Avenue | A productive artesian well on the corner of Chicago Avenue and Western Avenue |
| Ashland Avenue | The Ashland estate of Kentucky statesman Henry Clay |
| Beach Avenue | E.A. Beach, a real estate developer |
| Belmont Avenue | Battle of Belmont |
| Blue Island Avenue | Led to Blue Island, a ridge of land that appeared to be an island to pioneers |
| Bowmanville | Early settler Jessie Bowman sold lots that he did not own, then fled |
| Bucktown | Residents kept goats in their yards |
| Calhoun Place | U.S. Vice President and South Carolina statesman, John C. Calhoun |
| Calumet River | Calumet means "peace pipe" in Illiniwek |
| Canaryville | When the Irishmen worked in the stockyards they left when it was dark and came home when it was dark,so their wives and girlfriends put canaries in cages in the trees so they could hear the birds singing on their way to work.[citation needed] |
| Cermak Road | Slain Chicago mayor Anton Cermak (formerly 22nd Street) |
| Chicago River | A French rendering of the Miami-Illinois name shikaakwa, meaning wild leek.[1][2][3] |
| Clark Street | George Rogers Clark |
| Clinton Street | DeWitt Clinton |
| Clybourn Avenue | Archibald Clybourn, the first policeman of Chicago |
| Constance Avenue | Konstanz, Germany |
| Damen Avenue | Father Arnold Damen, founder of St. Ignatius College Preparatory School |
| DeKoven Street | John DeKoven (founder of Northern Trust) |
| Devon Avenue | Devonshire, England by John Lewis Cochran |
| Diversey Parkway | Beer brewer Michael Diversey |
| Englewood | Englewood, New Jersey |
| Fuller Park | Melville Fuller, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court |
| George Street | Settler Sam George sighted the last bear in Chicago at the corner of Adams and LaSalle Streets in 1834. The bear was promptly killed by another settler, John Sweeney. |
| 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 |
| Howard Street | Howard Uhr, who donated the Howard Street right-of-way to Chicago |
| Hubbard Street | Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard, who arrived in Chicago in 1818 |
| Kewanee Avenue | A lek for Prairie chickens called "Kewanee" in the Winnebago language was located there |
| Kinzie Street | John Kinzie, who settled near the river in 1804 |
| Logan Square | Gen. John A. Logan |
| Maxwell Street | Dr. Philip Maxwell, one of Chicago's first surgeons |
| Ogden Avenue | William Butler Ogden, first mayor of Chicago |
| Ridge Boulevard/Avenue | Runs along a ridge formed by Lake Michigan |
| Pershing Road | John J. Pershing (formerly 39th Street) |
| Pilsen | Plzeň, a city in the Czech Republic |
| Pulaski Road | Casimir Pulaski |
| Rogers Park | Pioneer settler Philip Rogers |
| Roosevelt Road | President Theodore Roosevelt (formerly 12th Street) |
| Rush Street | Dr. Benjamin Rush |
| Sauganash, and Caldwell Ave. | Half-Potawatomi Chief Sauganash, or Billy Caldwell |
| Sheffield Avenue | Subdivider Joseph Sheffield |
| Sheridan Road | Philip Henry Sheridan, Civil War general |
| Southport Avenue | Led to Kenosha, Wisconsin, which was formerly named Southport |
| Streeterville | George "Cap" Streeter |
| Stony Island Avenue | Leads to Stony Island, a ridge of land that appeared to be an island to pioneers |
| Vincennes Avenue | Led to Fort Vincennes, Indiana |
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[edit] References
- ^ Swenson, John F. “Chicagoua/Chicago: The Origin, Meaning, and Etymology of a Place Name.” Illinois Historical Journal 84.4 (Winter 1991): 235–248
- ^ McCafferty, Michael. Disc: "Chicago" Etymology. LINGUIST list posting, Dec. 21, 2001
- ^ McCafferty, Michael. A Fresh Look at the Place Name Chicago. Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 95.2 (Summer 2003)
