tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15302273.post115517354472124133..comments2023-10-08T04:31:20.162-04:00Comments on The Secret Thread: Literature & Spiritual Life: "City of the Big Shoulders" (or, Duke Altum's POTW #37)Duke Altumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17494561267128023739noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15302273.post-1155390750817566102006-08-12T09:52:00.000-04:002006-08-12T09:52:00.000-04:00The history of Chicago I read made the point that ...The history of Chicago I read made the point that in the mid-19th century, when both Chicago and St. Louis were being established, the two cities became "rivals" as they both tried to emerge as the major midwest city, important hub for all commerce and train travel and all. Well, history tells us who won out in that contest... St. Louis simply wasn't central enough, and the supreme advantage Chicago had was that it had a link to New York and the East Coast by water (the canal system to Lake Michigan) and also to the Mississippi River to all points south, via another network of canals. St. Louis had no link to the East and was farther west and south, making it less practical for Big Business interests. Hence, Chicago became "the monster of the midway."Duke Altumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17494561267128023739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15302273.post-1155309000446787992006-08-11T11:10:00.000-04:002006-08-11T11:10:00.000-04:00This is a really interesting take on the city of C...This is a really interesting take on the city of Chicago, yet another excellent edition of Duke's POTW series. I came from Chicago too (being Duke's twin, that would make some sense), and I don't really know a great deal about the city. I haven't read the books Duke's been working on either. But this poem sure makes the city sound like a unique place with a grand, truly American history. "Hog butcher"?? "Stacker of wheat"? "Brawling....wrecking....shovelling.....the City with the Big Shoulders". Sounds like a hell of a place. This was a really evocative poem, you can practically smell the smells, feel the grit.....hail to all Chicagoans! We kick the crap out of St. Louis any day!Mutt Ploughmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07886850428991826645noreply@blogger.com