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Tour Guide Sums Up Chicago History In 5 Stories: Can You Guess Them?

By Patty Wetli | February 2, 2017 6:03am
 Tour guide Patti Swanson of Chicago for Chicagoans, her walking tour service, will share the city's five essential stories Thursday night.
Tour guide Patti Swanson of Chicago for Chicagoans, her walking tour service, will share the city's five essential stories Thursday night.
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Driehaus Foundation

ALBANY PARK — Chicago is turning 180 years old in March, and while that makes the city a whippersnapper compared with, say, Rome, the old girl has packed a lot of living into a relatively short amount of time.

All that history could make for a really long trip down memory lane, but one local tour guide has distilled Chicago's nearly two centuries' worth of events into five essential stories.

Patti Swanson, who launched the Chicago for Chicagoans neighborhood walking tours last summer, will share her abbreviated take on the city's past from 7-9 p.m. Thursday at Cafe Chien, 4957 N. Spaulding Ave.

And what are those five stories?

Swanson has only divulged the general subject areas: the flag, the fire, the mobsters, the skyscraper and the slaughterhouses.

The event is free and open to all on a first-come, first-served basis. Swanson will hand out handmade books containing her stories for a suggested pay-what-you-can donation.