Chicago and Illinois Treasures:
A Starter List of Primary Sources From American Memory

Getting Started:

• American Memory http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ (From the home page you can search all collections using the term “Illinois” or the name of a specific city or town.)
• America From the Great Depression to WWII: Black and White Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1935-1945 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fahome.html (Browse the Geographic Location Index and select “Illinois” or a specific Illinois county.)
• American Environmental Photographs, 1891-1936 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/icuhtml/aephome.html (Browse by Geographic Location and select “Illinois” or another state.)
• An American Time Capsule http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/rbpehtml/pehome.html (Go to Geographic Location of Printing and select “Kansas”.)
• Built in America – Historic American Buildings http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/ (Browse the collection by Place or enter the name of your state, city or county in the Search box.)
• Chicago Anarchists on Trial: Evidence from the Haymarket Affair 1886-1887 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ichihtml/hayhome.html (Browse by Subject, Name or Transcript)
• Chicago Daily News Photographs http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/ichihtml/cdnhome.html (Browse by Subject or Name)
• Emergence of Advertising in America http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ncdhtml/eaahome.html (Browse the Subject Index and select “Illinois” entries or search by keyword using the term “Chicago”)
• The Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amrvhtml/conshome.html (Search the Full Text of this collection using the term “Illinois”.)
• History of the American West 1860-1920 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/codhtml/hawphome.html (Search this collection by keyword using the terms “Chicago” or “Illinois”.)
• Map Collections: 1500-2004 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gmdhome.html (Browse the Geographic Location Index for “United States – Illinois” or search by keyword using the name of a city, town or county.)
• The Nineteenth Century in Print: Books http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/moahtml/mnchome.html (Browse the Subject Index to locate the name of your state.)
• The Nineteenth Century in Print: Periodicals http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/moahtml/snchome.html (Search this collection by Keyword using the term “Illinois”)
• Railroad Maps, 1828-1900 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/rrhtml/rrhome.html (Browse by Geographic Location and click on Illinois.)
• Taking the Long View: Panoramic Photographs, 1851-1991 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/panoramic_photo/ (Browse the collection by Place to locate photographs taken in Illinois.)
• Today in History http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/archive.html (Go to the Archives and “search the full text” using the term “Illinois”.)

A Sampling of Chicago Documents:

• Chicago Magazine. The west as it is. (1857 book) http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/ncpm:@field(DOCID+@lit(ULA17059514))
• Graded course of instruction for the public schools of Chicago (1869 book) http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/ncpm:@field(DOCID+@lit(ULA17059874))
• Report of the Chicago relief and aid society to the Common council of the city of Chicago (1872 book) http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/ncpm:@field(DOCID+@lit(ULA17058755))
• The lost city! drama of the fire fiend! or Chicago, as it was, and as it is! and its glorious future! a vivid and truthful picture of all of interest connected with the destruction of Chicago and the terrible fires of the great North-west (1872 book http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/ncpm:@field(DOCID+@lit(ULA17059484))
• Why We Ask 50 cents for our catalogue (1902 Sears Catalog) http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/eaa:@field(DOCID+@lit(A0467))
• The public dance halls of Chicago. Text by Louise de Koven Bowen. (1917 pamphlet) http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/musdibib:@field(NUMBER+@od1(musdi+025))
• The income and standard of living of unskilled laborers in Chicago, by Leila Houghteling (1927 bookleet) http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/coolbib:@field(NUMBER+@band(amrlg+lg09))
• Library bill of rights. [Chicago, Printed by the Norman Press, 1962] http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/rbpebib:@field(NUMBER+@band(rbpe+01807300))