Chicago Before the Fire

Louis P. Cain is an adjunct professor of economics at Northwestern University and a professor emeritus at Loyola University Chicago. He is the coauthor of The Children of Eve: Population and Well-being in History.

• Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction The Fur Trade and Chicago Pioneers and Boosters Assembling Trade Routes and Establishing Position How Chicago Grew Those behind the Growth Creating Position: Sanitation and Health Population and Labor The Lubricant of Growth: Money and Finance Summary and Final Thoughts Notes Bibliography Index

“In a deeply researched and highly readable mix of history, economics, and geography, Louis Cain offers a fresh understanding of how Chicago came to be. As he guides us through the conditions and contingencies that went into the creation of this remarkable place, we see Chicago rise before our eyes.”--Carl S. Smith, author of Chicago’s Great Fire: The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City