As usual, Mark Jacob and Stephan Benzkofer have done a great job in digging up bits of really interesting information. From the July 25th Chicago Tribune.
7. The STREETERVILLE neighborhood is named after a whiskey-selling squattor and scamp who was despised by city fathers.
In 1886, Captain George Streeter ran his steamboat aground on a sandbar about 400 feet off Superior Street.
He urged builders to dump their drunk around his boat, then declared his newly created land to be the "District of Lake Michigan" and separate from Chicago. He defended this claim in court with a shotgun which he wasn't afraid to use.
The city fought back by extending Lake Shore Drive south, creating the curve at Oak Street to surround Streeter's ville. It took decades for the city to get control of Streeter's land.
8. In LINCOLN SQUARE, you'll find a lot of things with the name Budlong. Lymon and Joseph Budlong had a 700-acre farm and pickle factory northwest of Western and Foster avenues. This area is still designated Budlong Woods.
One Last Ten to Go. Stuff You Didn't Know. --Cooter
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