History in Humboldt Park

Jimmy's Red Hots has been at the corner of Grand and Pulaski Streets, 4000 West Grand Avenue, since 1954.  The hot dogs are renowned.  The decor is not.  But we're not talking haute cuisine here, so the only thing that matters is a clean kitchen and a friendly staff.  There's no seating -- just a narrow passage allowing a few customers to stand and gaze out the window while they eat.  The menu can aptly be described as minimalist:  A Polish sausage, a hot dog, a tamale, and twice-sizzled french fries.  Unlike most of its Chicago-style rivals, Jimmy's red hots can actually be seen and tasted.  They are not so overly-smothered with toppings that you need turn a bounty hunter loose to find the beef.  But take note: Jimmy's does not tolerate ketchup.  Not on the side, not in a bottle, not in a packet, not in a house, not with a mouse.  Ketchup is sacrilege.  As they say at Jimmy's Red Hots: Don't even think about it.

Frank Farrguia, the patriarch of this Chicago institution, likes to say, "If you're not going to eat it yourself, then don't dare serve it."  Frank is understandably proud of his red hots, but prefers to boast of his obstetric accomplishments:  He has twice delivered babies at the restaurant.  On one occasion, the customers came and went by stepping over a woman who was lying in the doorway, suffering through painful contractions.

The “Security Sweet Shop” was founded in 1921 by a Greek immigrant named Peter George Poulos.  Peter soon handed off the operations to his son George, who renamed the confectionery “Margie’s Candies” in honor of his wife, whom he met at the store during his youth.  Margie managed the shop, loacted at 1960 North Western Avenue in Humboldt Park, during the Second World War while George was serving in the armed forces, and she ultimately assumed full control in 1954 after George passed away from an ulcer.  A widow for the next four decades, Margie continued to run the legendary local restaurant and candy shop until her death in 1995, at which point her son Peter assumed full control of the business.  Al Capone is said to have been a frequent patron, although Margie’s "fab" moment arrived in 1965 when the Beatles dropped in with five girls after a concert at Comiskey Park and ordered several six-scoop “Atomic Sundaes.”  Since then, the interior has been abundantly adorned with Beatles memorabilia, which complements the original Tiffany lamps, the marble soda fountain, and the old-fashioned booths with the miniature juke boxes.  (By the way, the Rolling Stones have been here too.)  In 2005, Margie’s son Peter opened a second location in the North Center neighborhood.

Landscape architect Jens Jensen resided at 1141 North Sacramento Boulevard.  Jensen created the Prairie Style of landscape design, which included no straight lines. He designed Columbus Park in 1916 and redesigned Humboldt, Douglas, and Garfield Parks.  He also designed the Lincoln Memorial Gardens in Springfield.

Without writer L. Frank Baum, the world would not know Dorothy, the Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man.  He wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz while living at 1667 North Humboldt Boulevard in 1899.  Baum later moved to California and wrote more than 60 books.  Oz Park (in the Lincoln Park neighborhood) is a tribute to him.

This was the boyhood home of notorious bank robber, car thief, and bootlegger, Lester J. Gillis, a.k.a. George "Baby Face" Nelson at 944 North California Avenue.  After FBI agents shot and killed John Dillinger, the FBI declared Nelson "Public Enemy No. 1."

At age 14, Nelson was already running with a local gang whose members dubbed him "Baby Face" because of his juvenile appearance and small stature (he was 5' 4" tall and weighed 133 pounds).  Compared to the carnage he wrought later in life, Nelson's early crimes were tame.  They included armed robbery, stealing tires, bootlegging, and "running stills" (whatever that means).  In January 1931, he was sent to prison for a bank robbery committed in Chicago.  During his incarceration, authorities temporarily moved him to stand trial for a robbery committed in Wheaton, but on February 17, 1932, he escaped on the way back to Joliet.  He subsequently spent time in California, Indiana, Texas, Nevada, and Washington State before returning to Chicago in April 1934.

One month prior to his return, Nelson and henchmen he recruited for a slew of bank robberies, including one of their notorious associates, Homer Van Meter, footed the necessary cash to help Dillinger execute his famous "wooden pistol" prison escape in Crown Point, Indiana. After the successful escape, Nelson, his associate John Paul Chase, and his wife Helen Gillis joined the John Dillinger gang.  Chase remained in Chicago, but Nelson and his wife vacationed with the rest of the Dillinger gang at the Little Bohemia Lodge in northern Wisconsin, where FBI agents discovered them on April 22, 1934.  Nelson soon killed two hostages and an FBI special agent.

On June 30, 1934, Nelson, Dillinger, and Van Meter robbed Merchants National Bank in South Bend, Indiana.  As they approached their meeting place back in Chicago, Nelson shot and killed two police officers on Wolf Road.

After FBI agents shot and killed Dillinger outside the Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue on July 22, 1934, Nelson fled to California, but made frequent trips back to Chicago.  He and Chase stole a car in Chicago on November 26, 1934, and drove to Wisconsin.

Three days later, FBI inspector Samuel P. Cowley received word that two special agents spotted the stolen car near Barrington, Illinois.  After a brief chase, Nelson veered off Northwest Highway, at the entrance to the North Side Park in Barrington, and stopped. In the ensuing five-minute gun battle, Nelson shot and killed two FBI agents, including Cowley.  "Baby Face" was critically wounded and died around 8 p.m. that same evening.  The next day, FBIi agents discovered where Chase disposed of Nelson's body, near a cemetery in Niles Center, Illinois.