A Native S Guide To Northwest Indiana

This family-friendly guide includes regional maps, chapters on 31 communities, and special sections on antiques, boating, gaming, golf courses, the lakeshores and dunes, shopping, theater, and more. Photos & maps.

Where in the landlocked state of Indiana can you sunbathe on a beach in the shadow of hulking steel mills, surf by an oil refinery, or scuba-dive to see old shipwrecks? A blend of Indiana and neighboring Chicago, Northwest Indiana is a one-of-a-kind place filled with wonders, like Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes and a hike USA Today described as one of the country’s most scenic. And behind its unique “coastal” setting lie some equally intriguing hidden gems and untold stories. Secret Northwest Indiana: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure leads a whirlwind tour of the Calumet Region that extends from Chicago’s far South Side, through the south suburbs and Northwest Indiana, and into Southwest Michigan. Read about a submarine inventor who sailed under Lake Michigan and the free-spirited Diana of the Dunes, who inspired preservation efforts that led to the Indiana Dunes National Park. Explore hidden Nike missile silos, bygone ski jumps, secret spots to photograph the jets taking off for the Chicago Air and Water Show, and the infamous Marriage Mill, where celebrities flocked to get hitched. Prepare for singing porta-potties, tree graveyards, and other strangeness. Local author and journalist Joseph S. Pete gives you a look behind the curtain in a region you might think you already know well. With his stories and tips, you’ll find no shortage of new secret places to explore in Northwest Indiana.

A collection of anecdotes and excerpts collected from Chicago's rich literary legacy, with profiles of the neighborhoods featured in key works and those that inspired some of the city's authors.

Series statement taken from publisher's website.

Cemeteries are in the metropolitan Chicago area.

Packed with hundreds of free, inexpensive, and unusual things to do in all corners of the city, this is the perfect resource for tourists, business travelers, and visiting suburbanites--and mostly resident Chicagoans themselves. Readers learn what's new in town as seen through the eyes of a team of native Chicagoans. 23 photos. 9 maps.

A current and ongoing story of unequal power in Chicago, this book tells the story of four representatives of immigrant and migrant groups—Jewish, Italian, African-American, and Mexican—that have had a distinct territorial presence in the Maxwell Street area. The interviewees reminisce fondly on life in the neighborhood and tell of their struggles to save it and the 120-year-old Maxwell Street Market that was at its core. Midwest Independent Publishers Association Book Award - 2nd Place - Midwest Regional Interest Harold, Florence, Nate, and Hilda Dragon Slayers at Halsted and Roosevelt "You could be St. George and you couldn't slay that dragon," said Florence Scala. She was referring to her epic fight to preserve the Italian Taylor Street community from Mayor Richard J. Daley's plan to redevelop it for the University of Illinois. Yet, Scala and other ordinary citizens in Chicago's port-of-entry Near West Side neighborhood persisted in their extraordinary battles against some of the biggest power players in a city of clout. "Near West Side Stories: Struggles For Community in Chicago's Maxwell Street Neighborhood" is an ongoing story of unequal power in Chicago. Four representatives of immigrant and migrant groups that have had a distinct territorial presence in the area--one Jewish, one Italian, one African-American, and one Mexican--reminisce fondly on life in the old neighborhood and tell of their struggles to save it and the 120-year-old Maxwell Street Market that was at its core. "Near West Side Stories" brings this saga of community strife up to date, while giving a voice to the everyday people who were routinely discounted or ignored in the big decisions that affected their world. Though "slaying that dragon"--fending off the encroachments of those wielding great power--was nearly impossible, we see in the details of their lives the love for a place that compelled Harold, Florence, Nate, and Hilda to make the quest.

“Highlights the most infamous and spine-tingling haunted places scattered throughout Northwest Indiana” (The Times of Northwest Indiana). In 2014, the story of Gary’s “Demon House” shocked the world, drawing millions into the terrifying tale of a contemporary exorcism. For many residents, however, ghosts are just part of the community. From the haunting of the Jackson Five to the ghost ship Flying Cloud, local legends abound. Ghostly echoes may linger from a fiery 1918 train wreck that claimed the lives of eighty-six circus performers. A young murderess, said to have drowned her children in the Little Calumet River, reportedly haunts the Cline Avenue freeway. And the spirit of Alice Gray, the most famous of myriad recluses, is said to remain in Duneland. Meet these and other eternal inhabitants of “America’s Ghost Town” with author Ursula Bielski. Includes photos!