Editor’s Note: Here is a collection of photos and postcards of a now lost Chicago shown at The Cliff Dwellers at a Canavan Family Reunion in 2021. The images date from 1867. The slideshow is accompanied by music and begins with a 1945 Chicago Sun newspaper picture of three-year old Bill Bowe’s efforts to defeat the Nazis in World War II. The vintage images that follow are often familiar scenes set in an unfamiliar context. If you don’t recognize a picture, the photo captions can tell you where they were taken. With the exception of a few dates in error, they’ll also tell you when the photos were taken. As an added bonus, you’ll see a brief cameo of Bill Bowe’s uncle and aunt, Augustine and Julia Bowe, as they take him on a 1965 tour of Gus Bowe’s birthplace and early homes on the near west side of Chicago.
“White City” Takes Flight – June 17,1914
The first successful passenger dirigible flight in the United States. From Foster Avenue and the Saddle & Cycle club on the north to the South Shore Country Club on the south, with Lake Michigan and the Loop in between. Quite rare and amazing footage.
