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Episode 24 – Bonus: Working on the Railroad
October is Railroad history month in Chicago. Although we already released Episode 24 - The Railroads in honor of railroads history month there was too much good stuff...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:27 — 39.8MB)
Episode 24 – The Railroads
For 150 years, Chicago has remained the country’s busiest rail hub at the center of the nation’s rail network. In all, 40 railroads provide services from Illinois to every...
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Episode 23 – Reversing the Chicago River
Native Americans held great respect for natural systems while also managing the landscape to support their people and way of life. As “civilization” came to this area Chicago became...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:41 — 56.5MB)
Episode 22 – Eyewitness to History: From the Pullman Strike to H.H. Holmes
Looking back on historical events, whether it is the Civil War or the Chicago Fire, they are usually presented in isolation, a individual events separated by subject, pinned to...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:54 — 51.2MB)
Episode 21 – The Third Star – part III
As we conclude this three-part mini-series on the Columbian Exposition of 1893, we talk about a few favorite exhibits and stories about the Fair, connections that exist still, and...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:15:00 — 68.7MB)
Episode 20 – The Third Star – part II
We continue our discussion of Chicago’s first World’s Fair to learn why carousels were risque, the Ferris Wheel encouraged voyeurism, Columbus was cool, and unfortunately racism was the norm....
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:40 — 55.6MB)
Featured Guests

Emma Thomas
I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream. As I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants.

Earn Palmer
I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream. As I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants.

Halie Jackson
I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream. As I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants.

The Cat
I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream. As I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants.
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Special Episode – Champlain’s Dream
In this special episode of the Windy City Historians we revisit our discussion of Jean Nicolet in late historian John Swenson’s last interview.
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Special Episode – Buzzing Through Time
In this Special Episode we take a view of Chicago History — Cicada style. For in the world of entomology, 2024 was a big year. As two cicada broods The Great Southern Brood, which emerge every 13-years and is the largest of all periodical cicada broods and The Northern Illinois Brood which emerges every 17-years,...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:22 — 46.2MB)
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