Indian Boundary Park is a urban park in the
West Ridge neighborhood of
North Side, Chicago
Chicago is the third largest city in the United States with a population of 2,853,114 (2009). It is located in the state of Illinois, on the shores of Lake Michigan. The city is the county seat of Cook County.
Geography of Chicago
Chicago
...
, Illinois.
History
The park opened in 1922.
[Alice Sinkevitch, et al. ''AIA Guide to Chicago''. American Institute of Architects. 2004. 248.] It is named after a boundary line that was determined in the 1816
Treaty of St. Louis between the
Odawa
The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ), said to mean "traders", are an Indigenous American ethnic group who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, commonly known as the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. They ha ...
,
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
, and
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...
tribes and the United States government. The line ran through the present park.
Former zoo
Indian Boundary Park once had a small zoo,
[ which began with a single ]American black bear
The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), also called simply a black bear or sometimes a baribal, is a medium-sized bear endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. American black bear ...
. In later years, it primarily housed farm animals, such as goats, ducks, and chickens.[Indian Boundary Park & Cultural Center]
Chicago Park District. Retrieved on May 14, 2012. The zoo was maintained by the Zoological Society of the Lincoln Park Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo, also known as Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens, is a zoo in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois. The zoo was founded in 1868, making it the fourth oldest zoo in North America. It is also one of a few free admission zoos in the Unit ...
. In 2013, the zoo at Indian Boundary Park was closed and the remaining few animals were sent to Lincoln Park Zoo.
Facilities
Indian Boundary Park is noted for its fieldhouse, which was completed in 1929. The design of the fieldhouse incorporates Native American and Tudor elements. In 1989, a large playground was added to the park and assembled with the help of neighborhood residents.[
The park was added to the ]National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1995, and the fieldhouse was named a Chicago Landmark
Chicago Landmark is a designation by the Mayor and the City Council of Chicago for historic sites in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, archite ...
in 2005.
The historic fieldhouse was extensively damaged by a fire on May 20, 2012.
Restoration to the fieldhouse began in the late summer of 2013 after extensive negotiations between the Chicago Park District
The Chicago Park District is one of the oldest and the largest park districts in the United States. As of 2016, there are over 600 parks included in the Chicago Park District as well as 27 beaches, several boat harbors, two botanic conservatories ...
and the insurance provider. It was fully restored on July 14, 2014 with help from the park supervisor, Philip Martini.
References
External links
Indian Boundary Park Advisory Council
{{authority control
1922 establishments in Illinois
Historic districts in Chicago
Chicago Landmarks
Former zoos
Native American history of Illinois
North Side, Chicago
Odawa
Ojibwe
Parks in Chicago
Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago
Potawatomi
Zoos established in 1922
Zoos disestablished in 2013
Zoos in Illinois