Calumet Region Community Collection
Scope and Contents
The Calumet Region Community Collection spans Chicago’s Roseland, Pullman, West Pullman, South Holland, Dolton, Fernwood, Gano, Kensington, Riverdale and Rosemoor neighborhoods. The collection includes biographical, business, church, community and school records in addition to photographs, scrapbooks, community histories and artifacts spanning more than one hundred years.
Henry R. Koopman, a local photographer whose studio was located at the corner of 111th Street and Michigan Avenue, took several of the photographs in the collection. Koopman’s photographs were used to create the 1893 publication called, Pullman: The City of Brick (See: Historic Pullman Collection).
Dates
- 1850 - 2021
- Majority of material found within 1850 - 1975
Creator
- Calumet-Pioneer Historical Society (Chicago, Ill.) (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection.
Biographical / Historical
Once home to Algonquin, Illini, Potawatomi, and Miami communities who utilized the Calumet River for hunting and navigating the area, Chicago’s portion of the greater Calumet Region includes the Far South Side communities of Roseland, Pullman, West Pullman, South Holland, Dolton, Fernwood, Gano, Kensington, Riverdale and Rosemoor. The Calumet River, Lake Calumet, Lake Michigan and other natural features attracted industrial development, especially after as the network of railroads expanded after the Civil War. Over the course of the next one hundred years, the area became known as the Calumet Industrial Region where steel, petroleum, coal, chemical or transportation equipment were manufactured or refined. This industrial corridor attracted immigrants and workers from a variety of cultural backgrounds. After 1970, industry in the area began to decline. Since that time, efforts have been undertaken to restore the natural environment after years of industrial use.
Extent
25 Linear Feet (in 24 boxes including 546 photographs, 22 oversize folders)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Calumet Region Community Collection spans Chicago’s Roseland, Pullman, West Pullman, South Holland, Dolton, Fernwood, Gano, Kensington, Riverdale and Rosemoor neighborhoods. The collection includes biographical, business, church, community and school records in addition to photographs, scrapbooks, community histories and artifacts spanning more than one hundred years.
Arrangement
The Calumet Region Community Collection is arranged into 10 series by topic:
Series 1: Biographical Data, 1850-2021, undated
Series 2: Business Establishments, 1877-2021, undated
Series 3: Religious Institutions, 1890-1988, undated
Series 4: Clubs and Organizations, 1872-2021, undated
Series 5: Historical Sketches, 1852-2020, undated
Series 6: Municipal Agencies, 1883-1957, undated
Series 7: Parks, 1905-1955
Series 8: Residences, Photographs, 1861-1967, undated
Series 9 Schools, 1859-1987, undated
Series 10: Streets and Transportation, Photographs, 1886-1967, undated
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The initial collection items were transferred from Chicago Public Library, Pullman Branch in the 1980s as part of a Dr. Scholl Foundation grant. These materials were primarily gathered by the Calumet-Pioneer Historical Society.
Supplement 1 consists of four Mendel Catholic High School yearbooks for the years 1972, 1980, 1986 and 1987 that were donated by Billy McCaskill in 1988.
Supplement 2 contains two folders (Box 7, Folders 9-10) that include the postcards and images collected by resident, Arthur Croulet, Jr., and the news clipping about the Roseland Fire Department. The likely source of the materials is the Calumet Pioneer Historical Society. The files were added in March 1989.
Supplement 3 (Box 7, Folders 12-16) comes from a variety of sources and primarily concerns the Roseland community. The materials were added in July 1990.
Supplement 4 contains five issues of Grove Heights News that were given to the Library in 1983 by Oliver Szilagyi and added to the collection in June 1992.
Supplement 5 includes the materials from various sources in Box 9, Folders 1-10; Box 10, Folders 1-4 and Photographs 1.336-1.339. The items were added in January 2019.
Supplement 6 includes additions to Box 9 (Folders 11-32), Box 10 (Folders 5-7), Boxes 11-13 and photographs with the prefix “3”. Many of the items were donated by Lisa Daleidon-Brugman and Janice Helge.
Separated Materials
The papers and records associated with the following community organizations and residents were organized as separate collections: Calumet Pioneer Historical Society Records, Fenger High School Records, Ton Family Papers and George A. Brennan Papers.
Some assorted artifacts, mostly household items, were part of the original collection. The file contains the 1982 cataloging notes for 18 items (or item sets). These items were not retained in the collection and the files do not describe the deaccession.
- Associations, institutions, etc. -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- Sources. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Business enterprises -- Illinois -- Chicago Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Dolton (Ill.)
- Fernwood (Chicago, Ill.)
- Pullman (Chicago, Ill.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Religious institutions -- Illinois -- Chicago Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Riverdale (Chicago, Ill.)
- Roseland (Chicago, Ill.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Schools -- Illinois -- Chicago Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Societies and clubs -- Illinois -- Chicago Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- South Holland (Ill.)
- West Pullman (Chicago, Ill.)
Source
- Chicago Public Library. Pullman Branch (Organization)
Creator
- Calumet-Pioneer Historical Society (Chicago, Ill.) (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Calumet Region Community Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Original author unknown, circa 1989. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Michelle McCoy, 2022
- Date
- 1989
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Unit at Harold Washington Library Center Repository
Harold Washington Library Center, 9th Floor
Chicago Public Library
400 S. State Street
Chicago IL 60605 United States
(312) 747-4875
specoll@chipublib.org