One of my favorite sites to peruse (creep on) is EveryBlock Chicago, which regularly features posts by Chicago residents about the happenings in their ‘hood. One of my favorite posters is a fellow named Bart Shore who is always sharing old photos he comes across. This one is of the Showboat Dixiana on the site of the Diversey River Bowl (right down the street from my Target!).
The showboat, according to Shore, “was finally allowed to open here in 1934 after a two-year dispute with city officials about a downtown location. It presented melodramas (with rooftop dancing afterwards). After being dark for two years, the boat moved to Michigan City in 1937 to present ‘Tobacco Road,’ banned in Chicago by Mayor Kelly. She half-sank upon arrival, and two months later the cast gave up when she was rammed by a Naval Reserve boat.” Pretty neat, right?
(Image via EveryBlock)
The Girl and Her Dog 