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News Thu Jul 16 2009
A Chicago Star Gets Marked
Ask the typical Chicagoan to explain what each star on the Chicago flag means and, if you're lucky, you'll hear the Columbian Exposition or the Great Chicago Fire. However, it would rare to find someone who can identify the event signified by the first star. This year marks the Bicentennial of the Battle of Fort Dearborn (Wikipedia uses the event's less conciliatory name the "Fort Dearborn Massacre") and its memorializing is expanding beyond a star the flag to the site of the actual battle. On Saturday, August 15th, South Loop dignitaries will dedicate the park at 18th Street and Calumet Avenue as "Battle of Fort Dearborn Park." While the footprint of Fort Dearborn is actually found at the mouth of the Chicago River, traced on Michigan Avenue by bronze medallions, the battle occurred when fort residents were being evacuated and were attacked by American Indians.
The myriad of groups appearing at the dedication, from National Guardsmen to American Indians, is representative of the effort that was made to place the battle within a larger context than a simple battle for young America's frontier. John N. Low of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi explains, "...rather than casting the parties as victims or victors, villains or heroes, it acknowledges that these were people first, often presented with difficult circumstances and choices. As much as this place was once a place of conflict, it now represents collaboration and reconciliation."
A history of the battle will be posted in the park on a bronze marker. The dedication begins at 10am and is open to the public.
Vana Kikos / July 17, 2009 2:52 PM
Great name for a beautiful park!