The Ridge Historical Society
Native Americans in the South Side Communities
By Carol Flynn
Seeking: People from the Blue Island Ridge communities and other south/southwest Chicagoland areas who are of Native American descent who would be willing to talk to me about their perspectives and experiences living in this area.
Why?
What we are working on: We are currently finishing up a background paper on the history of Native Americans in the Blue Island Ridge communities that can serve as a beginning point for local groups or individuals writing Land Acknowledgement Statements, or putting together any kind of programs on the topic, etc. This will be available to anyone who wants it. We will run this as a series on Facebook, also. This will be a constant "work in progress" updated and enhanced regularly. It is not an exhaustive document, it is a beginning point to help people get familiar with the history and issues.
I have plenty of historical resources – we've been in touch with the American Indian Center, Newberry Library, we have resources from the University of Chicago, plenty of books and articles and old maps and local history resources. I am looking for real, everyday people to talk to.
I intend to turn this into a general article for the Daily Southtown newspaper, expanding the information to include points west and south of the Ridge – Palos, Will County, Thornton, etc.
It is reported that there are around 65,000 Native Americans representing 175 Nations in the Chicago area, but most of these people are concentrated on the North Side. There is very little Native American presence reported in the Blue Island Ridge communities. Depending on the source, the population of Native Americans or “Other” which includes Native Americans is always given as less than 2%. One source lists 0% for Mount Greenwood and Washington Heights, 0.4% for Beverly, 0.9% for Morgan Park, and 0.8% for Blue Island.
My guess is that there are people with some Native American ancestry who are counted in the other groups.
So I would love to "meet" some people of Native American ancestry who would agree to be interviewed. They can contact me personally through Messenger, or through the RHS Facebook page – I see the messages but they are not made public. Please feel free to share this request with anyone you know.
Here is a very interesting map, going back to 1804, updated and reproduced in 1900-01, showing Indian trails and sites in the area. Note the outline of the Blue Island and the sites in the area.