My Calumet Area Home

I grew up in both the East Side area of Chicago and the Hegewisch area of Chicago.

Contrary to popular belief the East Side did not get its name for being located on the Eastern side of Chicago. The East Side was named so, because it is located on the East Side of the Calumet River.  The East Side provided a major source of transportation for barges that needed to travel through the river. Up until the last twenty years, the East Side was also a location of steel mills which provided many jobs to the local residents.


Calumet Park was (and still is) a popular park and beach in the area providing plenty of outdoor activities and indoor activities in the Field House such as basketball, arts and crafts, aerobics, and ballet to name a few.

Calumet Park Field House

                         Picture obtained from: 

                               http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/landmarksweb/web/landmarkdetails.htm?lanId=11399

Hegewisch has always been known to have very swampy land and many of the homes in the area have had moisture issues. This is due to Hegewisch residing on man-made land. Hegewisch was once all water and was part of Lake Michigan.

Hegewisch South Shore Train Station

                                           Picture found at:

                                           http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegewisch,_Chicago#Bus_.26_Rail_Transportation

As you can see, Hegewisch is almost completely surrounded by water

                                           Picture obtained from:

                                           http://archive.fieldmuseum.org/calumet/Hegewisch.html

"A satellite view of Hegewisch superimposed with likely location of area lakes as shown on a 1903 survey map."
http://hegewisch.net/wolf-lake.html

Hegewisch Marsh – 100 acre parcel

                                            Picture obtained from:

                                            http://www.standingupforillinois.org/cleanwater/hm.php

The Hegewisch and East Side area was changed to fit the upcoming needs of man. There were many jobs to be had and people needed homes to live near their jobs. These jobs were in steel mills and on docks where the barges would unload the steel that had been transported.

Wisconsin Steel - First Steel Mill in Southeastern Chicago

                                                 http://www.neiu.edu/~reseller/wiscsteel.htm

Flint Lake - Valparaiso, Indiana

Flint Lake, a kettle lake found in Valparaiso of Porter County, Indiana is sixty-seven feet deep, approximately twice as deep as the average kettle lake. 


This kettle lake is located Northwest of the intersection of Calumet Ave and County Road 500N.

Photos shown below were taken from Flint Lake Gateway street in Valparaiso, Indiana

Indiana Dunes - Indiana

To my surprise, the Indiana Dunes were much more than the sand dunes that I was expecting. There is much forestry and vegetation to be found at the Indiana Dunes.

These pictures were taken at the Indiana Dunes State Park.

Boulder at Festival Park - Lake George - Hobart, Indiana

Found next to the Revelli Bandshell at Festival Park in Hobart, Indiana. "These rocks, called eratics, are typically native to Canada and upper Michigan are were carried here by glaciers during the recent Ice Age." (Schoon)

These pictures were taken at Festival Park of Lake George in Hobart, Indiana

Hobart Island - Merrillville, Indiana

Hobart Island is located at approximately 56th and Broadway in Merrillville, Indiana. Part of the Tinley/Lake Border Moraine.


"Hobart Island is the hill in the Hobart/north Merrillville area." (Schoon)

These pictures were taken at the approximate of 56th and Broadway, Merrillville, Indiana

Main Beaver Dam Ditch - Crown Point, Indiana

Main Beaver Dam Ditch flows through the boundary of the Tinley and Valparaiso Moraines.

These pictures were taken at the approximate of 98th and Main St., Crown Point, Indiana