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Robey street. Who was Robey?
Posted by:
daveg
()
Date: September 28, 2011 08:05PM
Many know that Robey street was renamed Damen back in the 20s in honor of Fr Damen the founder of St. Ignatius.
My question is who was Robey and why was a street named after that person? All I was able to quickly find was that the street was named Fon du Lac before Robey. This was on a 1861 map.
So the challenge question of the day: who was Robey?
My question is who was Robey and why was a street named after that person? All I was able to quickly find was that the street was named Fon du Lac before Robey. This was on a 1861 map.
So the challenge question of the day: who was Robey?
Re: Robey street. Who was Robey?
Posted by:
bowler
()
Date: September 28, 2011 09:21PM
Dave,
According to two articles from the Tribune in 1927 the origins of the Robey Street name are vague but seem to point to it being named after James Robey who was a squatter/farmer in the area and eventually opened a roadhouse around Madison and present day Damen from 1861-1863. If anyone is interested in the articles send me a PM with your email (I already know yours Dave ;) )
According to two articles from the Tribune in 1927 the origins of the Robey Street name are vague but seem to point to it being named after James Robey who was a squatter/farmer in the area and eventually opened a roadhouse around Madison and present day Damen from 1861-1863. If anyone is interested in the articles send me a PM with your email (I already know yours Dave ;) )
Re: Robey street. Who was Robey?
Posted by:
bowler
()
Date: September 28, 2011 09:38PM
According to the book "Chicago: A Historical Guide to the Neighborhoods" Robey Street was named after James Robey, "a real estate developer who lived on the corner of Robey and Washington on the city's West Side in 1863" page 142.
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=%22james+robey%22+chicago&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=27858l28608l0l28874l7l3l0l0l0l0l157l329l2.1l3l0&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbo=u&tbm=bks&source=og&sa=N&tab=wp&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=2ba85e9b8f16205f&biw=1440&bih=703
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=%22james+robey%22+chicago&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=27858l28608l0l28874l7l3l0l0l0l0l157l329l2.1l3l0&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbo=u&tbm=bks&source=og&sa=N&tab=wp&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=2ba85e9b8f16205f&biw=1440&bih=703
Re: Robey street. Who was Robey?
Posted by:
bowler
()
Date: September 28, 2011 09:50PM
Interestingly enough Robey Street appears to have been previously called "Long John" after "Long" John Wentworth former Mayor and owner of the "Brighton Trotting Park" which was a horse track in operation in the 1850's and 1860's on the current site of McKinley Park. You can see it on the following maps:
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/su/maps/chifire/G4104-C6-1873-G7.html
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/su/maps/chifire/G4104-C6-1868-C5.html
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/su/maps/chifire/G4104-C6-1873-G7.html
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/su/maps/chifire/G4104-C6-1868-C5.html
