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Description
Antique scenic view post card
Circa 1911
Postmark Chicago IL

Summer Scene at Wilson Beach, on Lake Michigan
Chicago Illinois
In the late 19th century, a citywide ban on public bathing kept Chicagoans from (legally) refreshing themselves in the cooling waters of Lake Michigan, even on the most boiling hot summer days. Public outcry and demand eventually had this ordinance removed - and then the real troubles began.
The first bathing beaches were owned and run by private interests who charged high membership fees to the wealthy who could afford them, effectively keeping out everyone else until Chicago’s first public beach opened in 1895 at Lincoln Park. The campaign to open the city’s beaches to the public was spearheaded by the Municipal Order League, a women’s reform organization. But the organization didn’t have recreation in mind: The push for public beaches was motivated by hygienic concerns, like public access to the lake for washing off. (eww)
Inside the compounds were strict rules that had to be followed. Women's (swim)skirts were required to be a certain length, people in street clothing were forbidden to mingle with those in swim attire, and beach goers were segregated by gender and by familial and economic status. Fences were installed to separate female swimmers from male swimmers. Women with children were separated from the general population. The arguments raged for years over what was considered "safe" and considered "decent". Separating patrons by income effectively turned into a case of segregation by race, since virtually no persons of color in the city had the wealth required to attend a private beach. Argument as to whether this separation was by-design or not stoked the fires of unrest in an already increasingly divided Chicago, as waves of immigrants and migrants of varied cultures battled for living space and for work.
In 1916, within a year of the opening of the public Clarendon Municipal Beach next door, a violent clash erupted between city beach-goers and members of the private Wilson Avenue Beach. In an attempt to keep municipal bathers out of the waters and off of the beaches owned by the Wilson Beach Company, lifeguards and members beat a boy whom they claimed had not paid his admittance fee. The Chicago Tribune explained that "bathers from other beaches can be distinguished from those who pay admittance fees by the manner of bathing suits they wear." In 1919 a full-scale race riot erupted on Wilson Beach after a private beach goer (who was white) killed a public beach patron (who was black) with a thrown rock and the police did not arrest him. The National Guard were called in to restore order, the rioting lasted 6 days and 45 lives were lost.

Here's some Chicago Public Beach "Fun Facts" since that story was a downer:
Montrose Harbor Beach has its own Dog Beach open year-round where puppers can roam leashless.
Chicago Lifeguard Service is reportedly the largest municipal lifeguard service in the world, employing more than 1,000 lifeguards every summer.
Chicago was the first U.S. city to establish a junior lifeguard corps.
As of this writing, eight Chicago beaches have free Wi-Fi.
You can surf at the Montrose and 57th Street beaches year-round.
There are shipwrecks within swimming distance of 10 Chicago beaches.
Oak Street Beach was an unofficial "nude night swimming" beach until the mid 90's when police patrolling stepped up and stopped would-be skinnydippers from baring it all. Or did it?
V I N T A G E S T O C K
#oldpostcard #postcardstock #deltiology #vintagestock #postcards
Vintage item from my post card and ephemera collections, free stock for yours.
Use however you like. Enjoy!
My Gallery www.deviantart.com/yesterdays-…

Deltiology = The collection and study of POSTCARDS.
Watch Vintage-Postcards group to see more old cards.

Description
Antique scenic view post card
Circa 1911
Postmark Chicago IL

Summer Scene at Wilson Beach, on Lake Michigan
Chicago Illinois
In the late 19th century, a citywide ban on public bathing kept Chicagoans from (legally) refreshing themselves in the cooling waters of Lake Michigan, even on the most boiling hot summer days. Public outcry and demand eventually had this ordinance removed - and then the real troubles began.
The first bathing beaches were owned and run by private interests who charged high membership fees to the wealthy who could afford them, effectively keeping out everyone else until Chicago’s first public beach opened in 1895 at Lincoln Park. The campaign to open the city’s beaches to the public was spearheaded by the Municipal Order League, a women’s reform organization. But the organization didn’t have recreation in mind: The push for public beaches was motivated by hygienic concerns, like public access to the lake for washing off. (eww)
Inside the compounds were strict rules that had to be followed. Women's (swim)skirts were required to be a certain length, people in street clothing were forbidden to mingle with those in swim attire, and beach goers were segregated by gender and by familial and economic status. Fences were installed to separate female swimmers from male swimmers. Women with children were separated from the general population. The arguments raged for years over what was considered "safe" and considered "decent". Separating patrons by income effectively turned into a case of segregation by race, since virtually no persons of color in the city had the wealth required to attend a private beach. Argument as to whether this separation was by-design or not stoked the fires of unrest in an already increasingly divided Chicago, as waves of immigrants and migrants of varied cultures battled for living space and for work.
In 1916, within a year of the opening of the public Clarendon Municipal Beach next door, a violent clash erupted between city beach-goers and members of the private Wilson Avenue Beach. In an attempt to keep municipal bathers out of the waters and off of the beaches owned by the Wilson Beach Company, lifeguards and members beat a boy whom they claimed had not paid his admittance fee. The Chicago Tribune explained that "bathers from other beaches can be distinguished from those who pay admittance fees by the manner of bathing suits they wear." In 1919 a full-scale race riot erupted on Wilson Beach after a private beach goer (who was white) killed a public beach patron (who was black) with a thrown rock and the police did not arrest him. The National Guard were called in to restore order, the rioting lasted 6 days and 45 lives were lost.

Here's some Chicago Public Beach "Fun Facts" since that story was a downer:
Montrose Harbor Beach has its own Dog Beach open year-round where puppers can roam leashless.
Chicago Lifeguard Service is reportedly the largest municipal lifeguard service in the world, employing more than 1,000 lifeguards every summer.
Chicago was the first U.S. city to establish a junior lifeguard corps.
As of this writing, eight Chicago beaches have free Wi-Fi.
You can surf at the Montrose and 57th Street beaches year-round.
There are shipwrecks within swimming distance of 10 Chicago beaches.
Oak Street Beach was an unofficial "nude night swimming" beach until the mid 90's when police patrolling stepped up and stopped would-be skinnydippers from baring it all. Or did it?
V I N T A G E S T O C K
#oldpostcard #postcardstock #deltiology #vintagestock #postcards
Vintage item from my post card and ephemera collections, free stock for yours.
Use however you like. Enjoy!
My Gallery www.deviantart.com/yesterdays-…

Deltiology = The collection and study of POSTCARDS.
Watch Vintage-Postcards group to see more old cards.