Chicago Cable Cars: A Forgotten But Important Story
Presented by Greg Borzo
Travel back to the days (1882-1906) when Chicago had the largest cable car system the world has ever seen. Chicago’s cable car system sparked a nationwide cable car building-boom that spread to 26 other U.S. cities. This lavishly illustrated PowerPoint presentation is based on Chicago Cable Cars, a new book by Greg Borzo, author of the popular book The Chicago “L”. The presentation includes more than 80 photos, some of which have never been published before. Having provided more than one billion rides, Chicago’s cable cars filled city residents with pride- and lined robber barons’ pockets with money. They helped lay the groundwork for Chicago’s transit network of today.
Greg Borzo is an award-winning journalist with a Masters Degree from Northwestern University. He has worked at Modern Railroads, Traffic World, the Business Word, the American Medical Association, the Field Museum and the University of Chicago. He is the Author of The Chicago “L” and Where to Bike Chicago. Currently a freelance writer, Greg lives downtown to better take advantage of all the historical, architectural, musical and cultural amenities that the city has to offer.
Friday, May 24, 2013
1900 hrs / 7:00pm
University Center
525 S State St, Chicago, IL
Admission is free. (CERA will begin charging $5 for non-members starting with our September meeting. Admission will always be free for CERA members.)
You can learn more about Chicago Cable Cars here, on the Forgotten Chicago blog.
The last Chicago cable car (to date) ran along the lakefront at the 1948-49 Chicago Railroad Fair, using an authentic San Francisco car. (Photographer unknown – CERA Archives)
Categories: CERA Programs, Chicago Area
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