Chicago History Museum:
A guided tour of Crossroads of America
for IWA members
Date: May 16, 2024
Time: 1:45 p.m.
Cost: $19 p/p
Deadline to sign up: May 8, 2024
Maximum: 30, Members and one guest each
Explore the city’s history through a series of galleries that highlight artifacts from the Museum’s
remarkable collection. By no means a complete history, Chicago: Crossroads of
America focuses on a selection of stories that illustrate Chicago’s crossroads nature and its
national influence. The iconic L car no. 1 greets visitors at the entrance, and then the exhibition
is divided into five thematic areas that explore various aspects of the city’s dynamic nature:
- City on the Make examines Chicago as a crossroads of economic and cultural exchange from prehistoric time to the present
- City in Crisis shows how conflicting social, economic, and political forces converging at the crossroads can explode in violent disorder, disrupting and changing the city
- Sweet Home Chicago explores how Chicago’s communities unite and divide along the lines of race, ethnicity, and class
- Second to None gives a presentation of Chicago’s many innovations and their far-reaching impact
- My Kind of Town discusses Chicago as a cultural crossroads where generations of people have gathered to play and celebrate
Within each thematic area, individual stories are arranged chronologically to illustrate how the
city changed over time. Key themes overlap and illuminate the complex and often contested
nature of Chicago’s past.
Itinerary
1:45 PM – Arrival and orientation (time to check your coats, receive maps, etc.)
2:00 PM – Guided tour of Crossroads
3:00 PM – Self-exploration of Back Home: Polish Chicago
4:00 PM – Depart
4:30 PM – Museum closes.
Location: 1601 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614
Public Parking is conveniently located one block north of the Museum near Clark and LaSalle
streets at 1730 N. STOCKTON DRIVE. $10 with Museum validation.
Contact: Jill Brennan, jill.brennan1@rcn.com
