Chicago’s Union Stock Yard opened on Christmas Day 1865 and became a must-see tourist attraction, drawing more than half a million visitors each year, from school groups to visiting dignitaries. At its peak, 50,000 employees processed six hundred animals an hour.
Dominic A. Pacyga, author of Slaughterhouse, will share the story of the Union Stock Yard, chronicling the rise and fall of an industrial district, that, for better or worse, served as the public face of Chicago for decades. Pacyga grew up in the shadow of the stockyards, and spent his summers in their hog house and cattle yards. He will explore the rough and toxic life inside the plants, and how the yards shaped the surrounding neighborhoods and controlled the livelihoods of thousands of families.
This talk is offered as a companion program to our May 9 tour of the Packingtown Museum and Stockyard District, also led by Dominic Pacyga.
This online program will be recorded and a link will be sent to all registrants. The link will remain live for seven days following the program.
$16 per person / $13 for members
All ticket sales final, no refunds or exchanges.