Old Chicago- Lager Beer Riot Multi-cache
stockguy: This cache has had a good run but time for it to go... thanks to all whom have visited it.
Old Chicago- Lager Beer Riot
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This is a 2 stage multi. For stage one go to the posted coords face south and look up. You will be standing across the street from City Hall. Count the number of full columns and add that number to N 41 53.142 to get the new N coords. For the W coords subtract that same number from W 087 37.847. An interesting side note as you are looking up, part of city hall's roof has gone green-pretty remarkable for a building completed in 1911.
The Lager Beer Riot of 1855 was an important event in Chicago's early history and caused some drastic changes in how people vote and in the police force. It all started back in the 1850s when a political party called the Know Nothings were gaining strength in the US. Chicago and the US were in a state of massive growth as immigrants have been flooding in for decades. Chicago alone grew from 4470 in 1840 to around 29,000 in 1850 to over 110,000 in 1860. The Know Nothings were anti-immigrant anti-Catholic temperance advocates who blamed much of society's ills on immigrants and alcohol. They quietly organized themselves for the March 1855 elections and swept city government because of extremely low voter turnout. Landowners were about the only people who voted prior to this time because much of the city services were handled privately or organized by neighborhoods- causing most people to think the elections did not affect them much. Mayor Levi Boone (a descendant of Daniel Boone) was now in control and he immediately changed the liquor license from $50 yr to $300 every 3 months. This was obviously a massive increase and directed at the large German and Irish community. The result was predictable and many arrests followed overwhelming the courts.
At the same time the police force was undergoing a massive change of its own. Prior to 1855 the police force was decentralized, reactive and mainly made up of part timers. Since 1828 when Chicago had its own constable and 1831 when Cook County got its own sheriff, citizens who were victimized had to apply to a judge for a warrant then have the constable or sheriff execute it thus earning a fee. The police department was created in 1855 and was set up in 3 precincts with more than 80 native born recruits joining the force and strictly enforcing the rules set forth by the mayor. This newly organized force of full time salaried officers were designed to be preventative. They patrolled day and night and were a major step forward to modern police practices.
The stage was set for major trouble on April 21st when a test case was to be heard at the court house (now the site of city hall), the irate Germans came to the court house to protest. Boone ordered the police to clear the courthouse area and 9 more arrests ensued. The mob dispersed and moved to the north of the Chicago river near Clark St. They grew angry once again and armed themselves with the intent to rescue the prisoners by force. Boone either saw this or got wind of it and ordered the Clark St draw bridge raised until a mass of 200 police were gathered. The bridge was eventually lowered and shooting erupted. The Lager Beer riot lasted only a few minutes with only 1 death and 60 arrests. When at the final make sure to look north on Clark St towards the bridge and imagine an armed angry mob on the north and police at the south side- it must have been a terrifying few minutes when the bridge was lowered.
The point was made and in 1856 Boone was soundly defeated by strong German and Irish turnout.
Because GPS reception may be sketchy here see the hint for final, also no Red Eyes were harmed with this cache. Very high traffic area use stealth.
Congrats to pkid on the FTF!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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