Hidden Pullman: Sewers, Alleys and Women

Along with its obvious visual beauty, the town of Pullman boasted state-of-the-art infrastructure, the hidden systems that made the town up-to-date for the late 19th century. It had running water, steam heat, gas service, even regular garbage pickup. And perhaps the residents most affected by these amenities were the women who lived there and ran the households between 1880 and 1894. Mostly they were housewives and we don’t know too much about them. But it’s safe to say that most of them had lived elsewhere before their husbands took jobs at Pullman. It is also known that public sanitation was a new thing in this country and Pullmanites were living on the cutting edge of its development. Although the sentiment probably changed as people got used to the amenities and to the realities of working for George Pullman, known as paternalistic but not generous, in the early years it’s probably safe to say that women loved living in Pullman. So, along with the hidden infrastructure, we’ll also take a look of the several women associated with Pullman history who are not so well known. As The Public Historian, your tour guide Cynthia Ogorek has been researching, writing, speaking and leading tours about historical events, people and places throughout the Calumet Region of Illinois and Indiana for over twenty years. She is also the author of four books on the transportation history of the area: Along the Calumet River (Arcadia 2004), The Lincoln Highway Around Chicago (Arcadia 2008), Along the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Rail Line (Arcadia 2012), Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad (Arcadia 2016). Currently, she is working on a history of the Chicago neighborhood called "Hegewisch." It, too, was a town conceived to serve railroad car builder, The United States Rolling Stock Company. She can be reached at sealuna@juno.com and thanks you for touring Hidden Pullman with her. Photo courtesy of Cynthia Ogorek