Mike, thanks for your comment recalling the strip of land bordering the channel. Some of what you remember I’ve heard before: if you search “bicycle paradise” on my blog, you’ll get a bunch of comments about it.
I’m curious about the iron pyrite – was that the natural terrain, or was it dumped there? Before the time you’ve written about, ie before McDonald’s, I heard there were goats grazing on that land and someone who lived in a shack on the site. I wrote about it on an earlier blogpost, based on an in-person interview I did with Marty Marcus, Peterson School Class of ’47:
“Except that in Marty’s day, goats were chomping away at Kedzie Field where the boys played football. The field was bound by Kedzie, Bryn Mawr and the canal. There was was a farmhouse on the property and goats roamed where years later Lerner’s and Zaretsky’s stood and now Northside Prep High School stands.”
Mike Wolstein (Von '63, RHS '67)April 19, 2018 at 7:58 am#
One subject that never seems to come up in conversation is the land that bordered both sides of the North Shore Channel between Foster and Peterson avenues. Every Sunday, weather permitting, my father and I would walk from our home on St. Louis avenue to the south end of the east side of that strip (the rear of the first house on Virginia avenue at Foster) and walk north to Peterson, through the mounds of rocks and sun-baked clay. We’d bird-watch and pick up rocks (there must be tons of iron pyrite, or Fool’s Gold, under that ground; I used to bring home pockets full). Then, after crossing Bryn Mawr, came the beauty and fun of walking through what we called “Bicycle Paradise”, where a wrong turn would land you in the river! At Peterson, we’d cross the channel and stop for a burger, fries, and a Coke at this brand new place called McDonald’s. 37 cents for that meal! We’d sit on the yellow bench on the east side of the building and watch all the folks sunning and swimming at “Tower Cabana”, the wonderful recreation center between McDonald’s and the channel. Then we’d head back home. As we passed the military training center at Bryn Mawr, some of the guys there would watch us because my dad had binoculars, and we were suspected of “spying”. I miss those days.
Mike, thanks for your comment recalling the strip of land bordering the channel. Some of what you remember I’ve heard before: if you search “bicycle paradise” on my blog, you’ll get a bunch of comments about it.
I’m curious about the iron pyrite – was that the natural terrain, or was it dumped there? Before the time you’ve written about, ie before McDonald’s, I heard there were goats grazing on that land and someone who lived in a shack on the site. I wrote about it on an earlier blogpost, based on an in-person interview I did with Marty Marcus, Peterson School Class of ’47:
One subject that never seems to come up in conversation is the land that bordered both sides of the North Shore Channel between Foster and Peterson avenues. Every Sunday, weather permitting, my father and I would walk from our home on St. Louis avenue to the south end of the east side of that strip (the rear of the first house on Virginia avenue at Foster) and walk north to Peterson, through the mounds of rocks and sun-baked clay. We’d bird-watch and pick up rocks (there must be tons of iron pyrite, or Fool’s Gold, under that ground; I used to bring home pockets full). Then, after crossing Bryn Mawr, came the beauty and fun of walking through what we called “Bicycle Paradise”, where a wrong turn would land you in the river! At Peterson, we’d cross the channel and stop for a burger, fries, and a Coke at this brand new place called McDonald’s. 37 cents for that meal! We’d sit on the yellow bench on the east side of the building and watch all the folks sunning and swimming at “Tower Cabana”, the wonderful recreation center between McDonald’s and the channel. Then we’d head back home. As we passed the military training center at Bryn Mawr, some of the guys there would watch us because my dad had binoculars, and we were suspected of “spying”. I miss those days.
Good memories especially Mutt & Jeff’s, terminal grill and Hot Dog joints off California where all the rich people lived