The Historian is the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society’s award-winning newsletter.

Spring 2017 Issue

Download and/or view the Spring 2017 issue here.

Contents:

  • “Coming in October: The World in One Neighborhood Cookbook”
  • From the President’s Desk
  • “Annual Meeting Reviews Year’s Accomplishments”
  • “RPWRHS Board Welcomes New Member”
  • “First Annual Hank Morris Historian Award Given to its Namesake”
  • “We’re Exploring the Activist Past and Present of Rogers Park and West Ridge”
  • “Activism in Action: Thanks to a Fundraising Hero”
  • “Historical Society Visits ECAC Ethiopian Cultural Center”
  • “Items from the Ethiopian Museum at ECAC”
  • “Remarks of Dr. Erku Yimer at the Ethiopian Community Association Program on February 23, 2017”
  • “Historic Building at 1730 W. Greenleaf Still Standing after Many Years”
  • Profile of Office Assistant Stephanie Barto
  • “‘Property’ Exhibit Results from Collaboration”
  • “Culinary Historian Colleen Sen Writes about Food Around the World”
  • “Ashland Avenue, Named for Kentucky Estate of Henry Clay”

Fall 2016 Issue

Download and/or view the Fall 2016 issue here.

Contents:

  • “Annual House Tour Highlights Historic West Ridge Bungalow Neighborhood”
  • “Historical Society Holds Retreat to Follow Up MAP Assessment Recommendations”
  • From the President’s Desk
  • “RPWRHS Holds Open House at New Headquarters”
  • “Hank Morris, Long-time RP/WRHS Volunteer, dies at 75”
  • “Helen Doria, Long-Time Rogers Park Resident is Newest Park Honoree”
  • Volunteer Profile: Elliot Schwarz
  • “A Tipsy History of Rogers Park: the Legal Limits Bar Crawl”
  • “Culinary Tours of Devon Avenue Combine History and Food”
  • “Armstrong-Bartelme 8th Grade Class of 1966 Reunion”

Spring 2016 Issue

Download and/or view the Spring 2016 issue here.

Contents:

  • Annual Meeting
  • “MAP Grant Peer Reviewer Gives Excellent Advice”
  • From the President’s Desk
  • Volunteer Profile: Chelsea Denault
  • “‘An Evening with the Meineckes'”
  • “Newberry Library Map Curator Discusses Historical Chicago Maps”
  • “Mary Bartelme Elementary School”
  • “Protecting Cold War Chicago”
  • “Devon Streetcar Barn”
  • “‘Your House Has a History’, Presented by Grace DuMelle”
  • “Is the City Overdue in Renovating the Library in West Ridge? A Look at the History of the Northtown Library”

Download and/or view the Spring 2016  issue 2 here.

  • “Seeing America First”

Winter 2016 Issue

Download and/or view the Winter 2016 issue here.

Contents:

  • “House Walk 2015 Revisits ‘Birchwood Beach’ Neighborhood of Rogers Park”
  • Volunteer Profile: Dona Vitale
  • From the Editor
  • “Rogers Park’s Norman Ross, Sr., Olympian Swimmer, Military Pilot, and Broadcaster”
  • “Fun, Games, and Good Cheer at the Annual Holiday Party for Members and Volunteers”
  • Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society Trivia Contest
  • “Loyola U. History PhD Students Inducted Into Alpha Sigma Nu”
  • “Nothing is More Constant Than Change”

Fall 2015 Issue

Download and/or view the Fall 2015 issue here.

Contents:

  • “RPWRHS moves to 7363 N. Greenview Avenue in Jarvis Square!”
  • Collectors Corner August 2015
  • Glenwood Arts District Walking Tour
  • From the President’s Desk
  • Volunteer Profile: Rachel Boyle
  • “Walter Burley and Marion Mahony Griffin’s Vision for Canberra, Capital of Australia”
  • “Don Erickson and ‘the Birdcage’ Apartments”
  • “Crossing the Invisible Dotted Lines”
  • Our Former Office Manager: Kim Brown
  • “Speaker Draws Largest Crowd in Recent Memory”
  • Clark Street: Then and Now
  • “RPWRHS joins the Celebrate Clark Street World Music Festival for their 10th anniversary which was ‘historic'”

Spring/Summer 2015 Issue

Download the Spring/Summer 2015 issue here.

Contents:

  • “2015-2016 New Board and Officers Elected”
  • “Assyrian Church’s Patriarch’s Funeral Held in Rogers Park, April 8, 2015”
  • From the President’s Desk
  • “David Alan Fortman Mon., March 2, 1936-Mon., Feb. 9, 2015”
  • “Forgotten Hero Finally Recognized”
  • “How Long-Time RPWRHS Member Frank Glapa Won the Prestigious 2014 Driehaus Medal”
  • “Survivors of Japanese-American Relocation Camps Tell Their Story”
  • “Marion Mahony Griffin Beach Park Dedicated”
  • “Angels” Contribute to Mahony Griffin Fund”
  • “Was the Last House in Chicago to use Gas Lighting in Rogers Park?”
  • “Volunteer Profile: Rob Case”
  • “Upcoming Events in Our 40th Anniversary Year”

Winter 2015 Issue

Download the Winter 2015 issue here.

Contents:

  • “Park 557 Renamed North Boundary Park”
  • “Volunteer Profile, Ahndrea Sprattling”
  • From the President’s Desk
  • “R.I.P. Bernie Stone, Former 50th Ward Alderman”
  • “Rogers Park Launched Chicago’s First Bus Line 98 Years Ago”
  • “Why Is There No Bridge at Pratt?”

Fall 2014 Issue

Download the Fall 2014 issue here.

Contents:

  • “Historical Society Celebrates Holidays with December 7 House Walk”
  • Collector’s Corner
  • From the President’s Desk
  • “Bowling in Rogers Park and West Ridge”
  • “Our New Coverage of Marion Mahony Griffin”
  • “West Ridge Historian Traces Local Park Development”
  • “Volunteer Profile, Gwen Gregory”
  • “Marrying the CTA Route 96 Touhy Bus with the Chicago Motor Coach Route 54 Lunt Bus”
  • “The White City, Society Member June Finfer’s Latest Play”
  • “Trash Turns into Treasure at Annual Members Party”

Summer 2014 Issue

Download the Summer 2014 issue here.

Contents:

  • “How Chicago Rid Itself of Townships Extending Beyond its City Limits”
  • From the President’s Desk
  • Collector’s Corner
  • “The North Shore Channel, the West Side of West Ridge”
  • “Research Info: Demystifying the Soundex Code”
  • “The Other Golf Club”
  • “The Pioneering Walchak Family”
  • “Chicago and West Ridge Railroad”
  • “Park 557’s Name Still Unresolved”

Past Issues

Please contact us for access to past issues of The Historian.