Bubbly Creek. This is the nickname given to the south fork of the Chicago River. Doesn’t it sound so quaint and cute? Sure it does. But it is particularly strange given this river’s history. If you ever read Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle,” you probably know about the history of Chicago’s meatpacking industry. Imagine living during this era, with blood and entrails being dumped into the river. This is how it used to be. So why did it bubble? It bubbled because of the gas coming from all of that decomposing flesh. The sides of the river would be coated in hairs from the animals, which people would scoop up and collect. It was truly a different time.
Today, the river looks like any other river.
Payton Chung/Flickr
But if you knew about its past, you might not come anywhere near it.
Wikimedia
Some of the more heavily polluted streams that filled this branch have been filled in, and a lot of fish and vegetation have returned.
David Wilson/Flickr
But the water still remains very stagnant, and it is a haunting part of the city’s past.
USGS Illinois Water/Wikimedia
Have you been to this section of the Chicago River? It is located on a stretch between the Bridgeport and McKinley Park community areas.
Payton Chung/Flickr
Wikimedia
David Wilson/Flickr
USGS Illinois Water/Wikimedia
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