yards district chicago century starting district operated group railroad companies acquired turned centralized processing area 1890s railroad money money operated community area years helping chicago known butcher world center american industry decades focal point rise earliest international companies companies refined novel industrial innovations influenced financial markets rise fall district owe fortunes evolution transportation services technology america integral popular culture chicago history civil war 1920s peaking meat processed chicago place world construction began june opening christmas day yards closed midnight friday july decades decline industry designated chicago landmark february history construction private tavern owners provided care cattle waiting sold spreading service railroads small created called opened public located madison street avenue years followed small scattered city railroads constructed chicago sprang usually built rail lines new railroad companies railroads built chicago railroads combined build largest set lake shore east cottage grove avenue 29th street 35th street managed buy controlling interest way owner got start business chicago factors contributed consolidation chicago westward expansion railroads drove great commercial growth chicago major railroad center mississippi_river blockade civil war closed north south river trade united_states government purchased great deal beef pork feed union troops fighting civil war consequence receipts chicago rose winter season time period beef receipts chicago rose head head influx small meat packing concerns number businesses greatly increased process flood livestock shipped chicago goal butcher process livestock locally transferring northern cities processing keeping huge number animals arriving day proved impossible new wave consolidation modernization altered business post civil war era designed consolidate operations built south city south west earlier stock yards area bounded street east west 39th street northern boundary 47th street southern boundary led consortium railroad companies union acquired acre km2 area southwest chicago connected city main rail lines miles track located outside southern boundary years area incorporated city eventually acre km2 site separate livestock room accommodate cattle sheep time additionally hotels restaurants offices merchants sprang growing community led founder president yards experienced tremendous growth processing million animals yearly decades number rose million approximately million livestock confines yards start 20th century employed people produced percent domestic meat consumed nationally employed people thousand men worked directly rest worked companies plants acre km2 contained miles road miles track perimeter largest size yards covered nearly square mile km2 land street avenue 39th time gallons day water pumped waste drained river called creek products creek bubbles day city permanently reversed flow intent prevent waste products sewage flowing city drinking water district served short chicago line stops devoted primarily daily transport thousands workers tourists site line constructed forced removal surface 40th street evolving methods transportation distribution led declining business closing negotiated contract cleared acre site removed acres animal auxiliary buildings story exchange building took approximately months complete job ready site building industrial park effect industry size scale technological rail transport allowed creation america truly global companies led person build modern large scale plant chicago armour plant built 45th street elizabeth avenue immediately west new plant employed modern assembly line assembly line method work process killing wheel helped inspire automobile assembly line time armour plant located acre site renowned largest factory world addition transactions companies pivotal establishment growth chicago based exchanges markets selling market allowed seller guaranteed price set time future extremely helpful sellers expected cattle come market cattle prices necessarily substantially lower guaranteed price following arrival armour company arrived chicago built modern large scale plant 42nd street built plant 42nd street elizabeth street built plants area west chicago eventually manufacturing leather soap large factory located 44th street street imitation ivory shoe polish buttons violin strings prospered neighborhood additionally hair factory located 44th street avenue processed hair animals items building built west street 42nd street 1930s originally hold annual began venue events including democratic famously democratic national convention use continued years closed fires started december destroying property killing including fire marshal engine companies seven hook ladder companies fought fire declared extinguished chief december memorial chicago firefighters died line duty erected intersection exchange avenue street larger fire occurred saturday burned including exchange building inn building larger fire seen far away indiana caused approximately million worth damages killed cattle perished yards business following sunday evening workers unions following opening new december community workers began living area west packing plants avenue bounded north 43rd street south 47th street residents overwhelmingly irish german irish german officially designated town lake incorporation neighborhood known locally later 1930s community known yards overwhelming sensation neighborhood smell community caused packing plants located immediately east acre containing livestock located east packing plants settlement area known yards began 1850s meat area time area known town lake area continue called town lake witness newspaper area called town lake journal founding community organization called yards neighborhood council neighborhood west south meat start called yards residents claimed town lake journal officially changed pioneers area called town lake earned nickname father town lake february area incorporated officially town lake area consisted fewer persons early 1860s meat packing industry united_states located cincinnati ohio original pre civil war era end american civil war meat packing industry started westward westward migration population united_states meat packing industry moving west meant coming chicago early established butcher log slaughter house north branch supplied garrison fort small came later bull began operations madison street avenue west chicago operations early meant holding feeding cattle transit meat packing plants east indianapolis course cincinnati decline current use prosperity concentration railroads evolution railroad cars decline advances post world war transportation distribution direct sales livestock breeders facilitated advancement interstate cheaper slaughter animals raised excluded major companies resisted change swift armour surrendered vacated plants yards 1950s area bounded 47th street industrial park neighborhood west south industrial park known yards home thriving immigrant population gate remnant arches exchange avenue firefighters memorial seen driving street limestone gate marking entrance survives relics chicago heritage livestock steer head central arch thought represent prize winning bull named founder gate designated popular culture published jungle conditions start 20th century referred poem chicago proud tool maker player railroads freight nation mentioned yards song kind town receive mention opening chapter novel day skip james song hard times killing floor blues refers nickname slaughter great depression 1930s yards major tourist stop visitors play version story takes place film union station final scene
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