I still have some fine-tune edits to complete for Between Two Shores, but while I wait for my turn doing that, it's time to get cracking on the next novel! This one will be set in Chicago during the time of the Great Fire (1871) and its aftermath. I've been researching for a while, but last week I headed to the city to fill in some gaps. There is really nothing like being on site for research.
I was so fortunate that Kevin of Wild Onion Walks gave me a personalized tour based on what I wanted to know specific to the novel I'm working on. (He is so knowledgeable, if you go to Chicago, I highly recommend taking one of his tours!) Here are just a few snapshots from our morning together. One of the first things I wanted to see were houses and neighborhoods that resemble those I'll be writing about.
I had to take a picture of these hydrangeas, my favorite flower. It seemed like they were everywhere! This fountain is one of two remaining original fountains in Chicago that was meant to give water to people, horses (the middle section) and dogs (the bottom portion). Of course, back in the day, instead of the modern fountain that has been fitted to the top of it, there was a tin cup tied to it for people to share. (Cholera, anyone?)
Kevin also took me to see the actual site of the start of the blaze (pictured below, where I'm standing in front of the Chicago Fire Academy), and a few structures that survived the fire, including the St. James Cathedral (interior pictured). To be clear, the inside of the church was burned away, but the stone structure itself remained standing.
Above, in the lower righthand corner, we are pictured in the Chicago History Museum, also the site of the Chicago Historical Society, where I said goodbye to Kevin and rolled up my sleeves to get to work. This doll, pictured below, belonged to a six-year-old girl named Charlotte who fled for her life along with her family. This was the only thing she took with her. Decades later, she donated it to the historical society.
Once I was finished looking at the exhibit in the museum, I headed upstairs to the research center and filled out the paperwork that allowed me to get my (clean) hands on primary documents. This is tedious work, but this is where the magic happens, people. This poster hints at the need in Chicago after the fire. The fire burned for two days, and left 100,000 people homeless. The most commonly accepted estimate of those who died in the fire is 300 people.
Most of my photos from this trip look like this section from my camera roll, below. With limited time, I had to discipline myself not to read every word, but just to take pictures of the pages and make photocopies of diary entries as necessary. I also looked at microfilm of the Chicago Tribune from Ocotber 1871 until my eyes could stand it no more.
After my first full day of research, my four best friends from college joined me for some fun in the city. We had actually planned our reunion in Chicago before I signed the book contract for this novel. After I signed, I tacked on an early day for myself to dig around for research gold. For those of you who enjoy literature (so, all of you, I guess?), I thought you might enjoy these snapshots below, too. We found a coffee shop with literary breakfast and lunch options, and enjoyed dinner at a restaurant named for Oscar Wilde. My photo of the interior of Wilde isn't high quality, but I wanted you to see the cozy, library-like setting. The food was great, too!
With not just one, but three Chicago-set books on the horizon, I see more trips to the city in my future! For now, this is a great start.
