Chicago's Lollapalooza Days

Book excerpt: Chicago has been called by many names--that Toddlin' Town, the Windy City (for its politicians, not weather) and Chi-town, to name a few. Today, it might be called Lollapalooza Land after its fun-loving and somewhat rowdy summer fest. But this nickname tracks back to 1908's boisterous Democratic Party fundraiser for the city's 1st Ward political machine. Chicago, from 1893 to 1934, was indeed alive with raucous people, as well as reformers, and this book not only tells their fascinating stories but also the following: Chicago's first McDonald's served up beer and politics, not burgers; the devil embodied Clark Street, but its tail swished all the way north to the opera; the city was a cartoonist's paradise; world-famous artists, writers, singers, and musicians drew, wrote, sang, and played in Chicago; and the Levee District boasted two madame sisters who ran a world-famous palace of pleasure. Readers will also meet a prizewinning horse without pants, wonder over an elephant named Princess Alice, hear of the world's biggest red wagon, find out about the first dinosaur in town, and discover how Chicago helped mother jazz, ragtime, and the blues.