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

Begin the Tour at Historic Pullman Foundation Visitors Center

Arcade Park

Foremen's Row

Pullman Hospital

Skilled Craftsmen Housing

Streets, Curbs, Sewers and Margarita Doty

Pullman Alleys

The Apartment Buildings on Langley

The Block Houses on Langley

Macadam Alley Paving

Honeymoon Row

Market Hall and Market Square Apartments

Alley Arches

Pullman Palace Car Factory 

Marguerite Doty's House

Gateway Garden

The Florence Hotel

Lake Vista and the Illinois Central Railroad Station

Rose and Herb Garden

The Arcade Building

End of Tour, Visitors Center

How the hidden aspects of Pullman's infrastructure made life easier for the mostly hidden residents of the town, i.e., its women.

Hidden Pullman: Sewers, Alleys and Women

Además de su evidente belleza visual, el pueblo de Pullman contaba con infraestructura de vanguardia, los sistemas ocultos que lo modernizaron a finales del siglo XIX. Contaba con agua corriente, calefacción a vapor, servicio de gas e incluso recogida regular de basura. Y quizás las residentes más beneficiadas por estas comodidades fueron las mujeres que vivieron allí y se encargaron de los hogares entre 1880 y 1894. En su mayoría eran amas de casa y no sabemos mucho sobre ellas. Pero es seguro decir que la mayoría había vivido en otro lugar antes de que sus maridos empezaran a trabajar en Pullman. También se sabe que el saneamiento público era algo nuevo en este país y que los habitantes de Pullman vivían a la vanguardia de su desarrollo.

Aunque la percepción probablemente cambió a medida que la gente se acostumbraba a las comodidades y a la realidad de trabajar para George Pullman, conocido por su paternalismo pero no por su generosidad, en los primeros años es probable que a las mujeres les encantara vivir en Pullman.

Así que, junto con la infraestructura oculta, también echaremos un vistazo a las diversas mujeres relacionadas con la historia de Pullman que no son tan conocidas.

Como Historiadora Pública, su guía turística Cynthia Ogorek ha estado investigando, escribiendo, dando conferencias y dirigiendo recorridos sobre eventos históricos, personas y lugares en la región de Calumet, Illinois e Indiana, durante más de veinte años.

También es autora de cuatro libros sobre la historia del transporte de la zona: 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). Actualmente, está trabajando en la historia del barrio de Chicago llamado "Hegewisch". Este también fue un pueblo concebido para servir al constructor de vagones de ferrocarril, The United States Rolling Stock Company.

Puede contactarla en sealuna@juno.com y le agradece por acompañarla en su recorrido por el Pullman Oculto.

Fotografía cortesía de Cynthia Ogorek

Cómo los aspectos ocultos de la infraestructura de Pullman hicieron la vida más fácil para los residentes mayoritariamente ocultos de la ciudad, es decir, sus mujeres.

Hidden Pullman: Alcantarillas, callejones y mujeres

Cynthia Ogorek

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