This episode of Discovery 1968, with host Bill Owen, examines the history of Chicago and the city’s status as an inland seaport. The film begins with images of Lake Michigan / Chicago River with title: “Chicago: America’s Inland Seaport.” Title sequence. Bill Owen in front of Chicago skyline (0:53). Various cityscapes: elevated train, executive house, courthouse, thoroughfares (1:04). Pan across Lake Michigan, skyscrapers (1:24). Bill walks near port (1:37). Fireboat pulling into lock, Chicago skyline behind. Chicago River viewed from boat (2:26): American flag in f/g, passing under bridge. Freighter near skyscrapers (2:32). Cargo lifted from ship by crane. Captain steers boat (2:42). Workers at port move cargo (sign: “Always America First”). Various views of rivers / boats. Panning: skyscrapers / office buildings, bridges, river (3:09). Captain (3:26), passing under bridge. B&W illustrations (3:41–6:02): 1673 expedition of Marquette and Joliet, French map of Lake Michigan, Fort Dearborn (4:30), Battle of Fort Dearborn (4:37), fort rebuilt (4:48), canal being built (5:07), merchants / fur trappers (5:12), newly-built canal / boat (5:23), aerial drawing of city / river (5:31), sailboats (5:44), aerial city again. Bill at industrial site, cranes lifting cargo / skyscrapers in background (6:02). Late 20s white male walks off ship towards city, passing train (6:43). Skyscrapers viewed from street level (7:05). Man walks through Chicago city. Chicago Picasso / Richard J. Daley Center. Chicago Tribune Tower (7:41). Urban street (7:45). Building with columns. Civic Opera House, Woods Theater, United Artists Theater. Closeups: man walks through crowded Chicago streets (Delta Jets sign). Bill overlooks river / city (8:16). Switching yards with light snow-cover (8:34). Closeups: freight trains, cars, tracks. Train cars separating (9:14). Pan to Bill narrating. Painted cars: “Ship and Travel Santa Fe All the Way,” “Southern Serves the South, “Route of El Capitan, “Union Pacific Railroad.” B&W photographs (10:13): men laying track, trains on track, smokestacks / railroads in Chicago, great granary, boats / rail / stockyards. Cattle at stockyard (11:07). Man with whip follows on horseback, corrals (livestock pens). Meat-buyers appraise cattle. Closeup: horse feet dirty from cow feces (11:35). Young man at stockyard on “Lincoln Meat Co. “ cart (11:54). Stockyards from above (12:00), pan to Bill narrating. Smokestacks and polluted skyline (12:32). Union Stockyard Gate (12:39). Wally Mander walks to town, views saddle window display (13:05). Stockyard again (13:30). Plane taking off (13:39). Bill by United plane (13:45). Planes on tarmac (O’Hare International Airport) (13:57). Don Houston exits / enters airport buildings (14:10). Don speaks into handheld radio, air control tower (14:32). Plane in sky (14:53). Planes taxi on tarmac. “Eastern” airplane (15:03). Car drop-off area (O’Hare) (15:07). Aer Lingus check-in counter (15:14). Logos: Swiss Air, Alitalia, Air France. White girl doll swaddled in handbag (15:21). Blonde family in airport waiting area smiles / laughs near Christmas tree (15:25). “Departures / Arrivals” sign (15:33). Luggage conveyor belt (15:36). People at airline counter (15:38). Words: “From Zurich…to Zurich…arriving from Mexico City…” People crowd at airline counter (15:45). Words: “Departing to London, Frankfurt.” Airport security (15:53). Bill at airport drop-off area (15:55). Firemen climb ladder from fire truck (16:34). Closeup: Chicago Fire Academy Statue (17:10). B&W illustrations of 1871 Chicago fire (17:19–18:06): barn, buildings on fire, firefighters, riverside warehouses on fire, Randolph Street Bridge, city at night (full moon). B&W photographs: city in ruins (18:06), commercial life returning / cleanup amid ruins, Chicago water tower (18:29). Color footage: Chicago Water Tower (present-day) with scaffolding (18:57). Chicago skyscrapers (19:08). Chicago at street-level (19:38). Loop train viewed from street-level (19:37). Bill by Jackson Park museum / fountain (19:59). Bill by United counter at airport (21:00). Credits over city views from river (21:26): a Jules Power Production.

We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com