Courtney Wiersema, Graduate Scholar in Residence & PhD Candidate, University of Notre Dame

Though nineteenth-century Chicago is often remembered for its stockyards and grain elevators, these industrial food systems represented just some of the many ways that the city’s residents put food on the table. A diverse group of Chicagoans also practiced urban agriculture, using backyards and side streets to raise pigs, chickens, fruits, and vegetables. This talk will use source materials available at the Newberry to explore the practice and meaning of agriculture in Chicago.

In the Towner Fellows’ Lounge.