History of Chicago and the birth of Chicago Tourism

Chicago was primarily inhabited by Potawatomis during the mid-18th century. Its first trading post was founded in the 1770's by Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, and it was not until 1816 that Chicago became a part of the United States in the Treaty of St. Louis. Chicago was finally incorporated into a city on March 4, 1837. In its first century, Chicago was one of the fastest growing cities in the world, and within just a span of 40 years, Chicago’s population increased from over 30,000 to about 1 million by 1890.

However, Chicago became notorious in the 1920s, when gangsters thrived in the city, including the famous Al Capone. This was the era of Prohibition and Great Migration. Machine politics ensued in the 1950s and by the 1960s, Chicago hosted the turbulent days of the 1968 Democratic National Convention with full scale riots in city streets. In the 1970s, Chicago became known as the city with the world’s tallest building (Sears Tower) and became popular as a movie location and tourist destination. This was the decade when Chicago Tourism was revived.

The 1980s saw Chicago develop into a larger and environmentally friendly city, and became more accessible to visitors. The 1990s saw the comprehensive revitalization of the city with extensive investments in infrastructure, revival of downtown theaters and retail districts, as well as improvements on the lakefront and riverfront cityscapes. All these developments immensely contributed to the popularity of Chicago as a world class tourist destination.