| Dates: | 1921-1983 |
| Size: | 1 linear foot in 1 box, plus 13 microfilm reels |
| Repository: | Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, 400 S. State St., Chicago, IL 60605 |
| Collection Number: | spe-nhrc-boy |
| Immediate Source of Acquisition: | Microfilm transferred from the Back of the Yards Library Branch in 1998. Other documents were transferred Sherman Park Branch Library in September 2000. Contents in Box 1, Folders 8-9 were added in 2018. |
| Conditions Governing Access: | Materials are open without restrictions. |
| Conditions Governing Use: | Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection. |
| Preferred Citation: | When quoting material from this collection the preferred citation is: Back of the Yards Community Collection [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections, Chicago Public Library. |
| Finding Aid Author: | Original author unknown. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Michelle McCoy, 2021 |
Abstract
The collection contains materials relating to the Back of the Yards community, including news clippings, historical sketches and microfilm reels of the Back of the Yards Journal and the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC) scrapbooks.
Biographical/Historical
The community known as The Back of the Yards is located to the west and south of the old packinghouse district between Racine and Ashland Avenue. The neighborhood is part of the community area of New City that extends from 39th to 55th Streets between Halsted and the railroad tracks along Leavitt Street, just south and west of the former Union Stock Yard and adjacent packing plants.
Historically, the area was highly industrialized and been populated by successive waves of immigrant groups. It was the setting of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, published in 1905. The Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC) was founded in 1939 by Joseph Meegan, Saul Alinsky, and Bishop Bernard J. Sheil. Comprised of dozens of small neighborhood organizations and parishes, the BYNC’s local leaders worked with outside organizers to help address community problems ranging from racial and ethnic tensions to economic inequities to housing conservation.
Scope and Contents
The collection contains materials relating to the Back of the Yards community, including news clippings, historical sketches and microfilm reels of the Back of the Yards Journal and the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BNYC) scrapbooks.
Arrangement
The Collection is arranged into 2 series: Series 1: Documents, 1921-1970, undated and Series 2: Microfilm, 1937-1983
Subject Headings
- Back of the Yards (Chicago, Ill.) -- Newspapers
- Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (Chicago, Ill.)
- New City (Chicago, Ill.)
- New City (Chicago, Ill.) -- Newspapers
Related Materials
- Back of the Yards Newspaper Collection
- Chicago City-Wide Collection
- Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Annual Reports. Back of the Yards
- Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Annual Reports. Canaryville
- Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Annual Reports. New City
- Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Annual Reports. Sherman Park
Collection Inventory
Series 1: Documents, 1921-1970, undated
Scope and Contents
Series 1 contains various materials on the businesses, organizations, religious institutions and schools located in the Back of the Yards neighborhood along with a couple of historical sketches.
Arrangement
Series 1 is arranged into alphabetically by topic and then alphabetically within topic.
| Box 1 | Folder 1 | Businesses - “Chicago’s Stockyard Picture Still Looms Bright” Chicago Daily Tribune, news clipping, 1961 February 2 |
| Box 1 | Folder 2 | Businesses - “Stockyards Change Character but Still Performs Major Task,” Back of the Yards Journal, news clipping, 1961 February 8 |
| Box 1 | Folder 4 | Clubs and organizations - Back of the Yards Council, Conservation, booklet, 1953 |
| Box 1 | Folder 5 | Clubs and organizations - Back of the Yards Council, “Where the People Act to Help Themselves,” Back of the Yards Journal, newspaper clipping, undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 6 | Historical sketches - “Back of the Yards 1870-1890,” 1938 |
| Box 1 | Folder 7 | Historical sketches - “Packing Houses,” undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 3 | Religious institution - Visitation Parish, Diamond Jubilee publication, 1961 |
| Box 1 | Folder 8 | Schools - Sherman School, faculty and class photographs [possibly the same teacher], 1934-1935, 1951-1970 |
| Box 1 | Folder 9 | Schools - Tilden Technical High School, The Craftsman, yearbook, 1921 June |
Series 2: Microfilm, 1937-1983
Scope and Contents
Series 2 contains 13 reels of microfilm with issues of the Back of the Yards Journal and notable moments in the history of the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC) including Joseph B. Meegan’s scrapbook, an anniversary report and a conservation report. Some the microfilm reels were filmed out of sequence. The Back of the Yards Journal is incomplete and is missing issues in the years 1940-1943 and 1947-1960.
Arrangement
Series 2 is arranged into alphabetically by title and then chronologically within.
| Microfilm Reel 10 | Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC), Joseph B. Meegan scrapbooks, 1939-1967; 25th Annual Report, 1964 May 17; and “Community Conservation, 1950-1960,” 1939-1967 |
| Microfilm Reel 11 | Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC), incomplete reel of retakes from Roll 10, undated |
| Microfilm Reel 1 | Back of the Yards Journal, 1937 January 7-1939 December 28 |
| Microfilm Reel 2 | Back of the Yards Journal, 1944 January 6-1946 December 27, 1961 January 4-1964 July 29 |
| Microfilm Reel 3 | Back of the Yards Journal, 1964 August 5-1972 January 26 |
| Microfilm Reel 4 | Back of the Yards Journal, 1972 February 2-1974 May 30 |
| Microfilm Reel 5 | Back of the Yards Journal, 1974 June 5-1976 March 31 |
| Microfilm Reel 6 | Back of the Yards Journal, 1976 April 7-1977 December 14 |
| Microfilm Reel 7 | Back of the Yards Journal, 1977 December 21-1979 June 20 |
| Microfilm Reel 8 | Back of the Yards Journal, 1979 June 27-1980 December 31 |
| Microfilm Reel 9 | Back of the Yards Journal, 1981 January 7-1981 December 30 |
| Microfilm Reel 12 | Back of the Yards Journal, 1982 January 6-1983 March 16 |
| Microfilm Reel 13 | Back of the Yards Journal, 1983 March 23-1983 December 29 |
