From Hog Butchers to Hot Dog Stands: Researching Chicago's Union Stockyards

Undergraduate / Graduate

For over 100 years Chicago's Union Stockyards supplied meat for the nation. At its peak, "the Yards" provided the livelihood-directly or indirectly-for one-fifth of the city's population. A massive network of ethnic enclaves (including Pilsen, Bridgeport, Bronzeville, and the aptly named Back of the Yards neighborhoods) eventually grew up around the one square mile facility, giving it an even larger geographic, economic, and political import. Today, the Stockyards are gone, but the communities it brought to Chicago remain. This city-based research seminar will combine campus-based coursework with travel to the neighborhoods built by the Stockyards and the exploration of local archives to better understand how the Yards and their surrounding communities navigated the transition to a postindustrial city. Along the way, participants will learn about and practice historical research methods that can be applied to a wide range of urban studies themes, in Chicago and beyond.