Foster Ave. Lake Shore & Mohawk Ironworkers

The recently completed Lake Shore Drive Underpass on Foster is very interesting, if not somewhat eyebrow raising if you have looked into the past history of Native Americans in Chicago specifically In the Uptown area. The population was created starting with the Federal Governments relocation program. Then began to assert itself through various clubs and movements brought on through the years of the civil-rights movement.

Here are a few facts courtesy of Google books:

• Since the 50's Chicago has been a destination of transmittal for Native Americans
• in the 70's 56 % of all Native Americans in Chicago lived in Uptown (4000)
• Uptown is about 100 sq blocks (8 sq miles)
• Native Americans made 50% less then white families

Native American population in Chicago is now estimated at around 10,000. I'm Currently using The U.S. Census Bureau's Thematic Map to see where the highest percentage living in Chicago resides now and I am not surprised to see that Uptown still retains a high percentage, I am surprised to find that a larger trend is occurring towards the south-western area of the city.

It's possible that the trend of movement from the north-side of Chicago to the more industrial south-western ares is a result of jobs, housing, and general opportunity. I would like to think that as some of my reading suggests, many Native Americans remained on the north to be closer commute to Wisconsin, which holds several communities including the Oneida, Menominee, Ho-Chunk, and Ojibwa. That would defiantly beat riding east on 290 then merging and taking a hellish underfunded 94 to the Wisconsin border where you siphon off to one lane and a 90 mile distance seems like 190.

Here are some other articles If your interested:

Lake Shore thrives

Encyclopedia of Chicago - Native Americans

Daily life of Native Americans in the twentieth century