Surviving the Eastland
This summer marks the centenary of the 1915 Eastland disaster, one of the worst tragedies in Chicago history. On the morning of July 24, 1915, more than 2,500 people boarded the SS Eastland on the Chicago River near Clark Street. They were mostly employees of Western Electric headed to a company picnic in Michigan City, Indiana. Loaded to capacity, the ship tipped into the river, killing 844 people, many of whom were trapped in lower decks. Twenty-two entire families perished. […]
