Editor’s Note: Here is a collection of photos and postcards of a now lost Chicago. They date from 1867. It begins with a 1945 Chicago Sun newspaper picture recalling how three-year old Bill Bowe from his home in Chicago helped 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 my uncle and aunt, Julia and Gus Bowe, as they take me on a 1965 tour of Gus’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.

Footage from the U.S National Archives, Roy Knabenshue Collection.