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113-521: The first business to open in Belmont Cragin was a saloon opened by George Merrill sometime after 1835, when he settled with his family at the intersection of Armitage and Grand Avenues. Operating the saloon out of his home, Merrill catered to truck farmers carrying produce over the plank road to the city. The corner, named Whiskey Point, prompted many colorful and romanticized legends but attracted few permanent residents. In 1862, Michael Moran established

226-590: A $ 23 million kickback scheme and was sentenced to 7 and a half years in prison. In March 2016, the Chicago Board of Education filed a $ 65 million lawsuit against Bennett and her co-conspirators. In January 2016, the Office of the Inspector General for CPS again received over 1300 fraud complaints and issued another audit for 2015 which continued to highlight issues of corruption and theft. The 2015 audit reported

339-492: A 4.5% raise. In 1985, the teachers had a two-day walkout. CPS teachers went on a nineteen-day strike from September 8, to October 3, 1987. In September 2012, CPS teachers went on a nine-day strike , walking off the job for the first time in 25 years. The work stoppage, which began during the second week of the 2012 school year, culminated with a march on City Hall. Striking teachers voiced complaints about pay, teacher evaluations, and benefits, as well as general concerns about

452-655: A bachelor's degree by age 25. The study tracked Chicago high school students who graduated in 1998 and 1999. 35% of CPS students who went to college earned their bachelor's degree within six years, below the national average of 64%. Chicago has a history of high dropout rates, with around half of students failing to graduate for the past 30 years. Criticism is directed at the CPS for inflating its performance figures. Through such techniques as counting students who swap schools before dropping out as transfers but not dropouts, it publishes graduation claims as high as 71%. Nonetheless, throughout

565-572: A decline in retail activity during the 1980s. Concerns over unemployment and an increasing poverty level have led residents to organize a home reinvestment campaign and to study ways of reviving the commercial climate in the area. The Belmont-Cragin community area is comprises four neighborhoods: Belmont Central, Brickyard, Cragin, Hanson Park. Per the 2024 CMAP report, higher education attainment percentages have increased. Chicago Public Schools operates district public schools. Elementary and middle schools serving Belmont Cragin: High schools in

678-402: A fifteen-day strike from October 3 to October 18 demanding a 10% salary increase. Superintendent Ruth B. Love offered raises between 1.6% and 4.8%, but the teachers' union rejected the proposal. The strike ended with the teachers receiving a 5% raise, 2.5% bonus and a one-year pact. Chicago Public School teachers went on a ten-day strike from November 23 to December 3, 1984, which resulted in

791-430: A former teacher, and to add an attribute to Chicago that would continue to attract productive citizens. In 1922, the school board voted unanimously to change policy that allocated library access based on color, "[extending] the same privileges to Race children to enter all the libraries as the white children enjoy", but maintaining segregated schools and specifying that "in each branch library all employees should belong to

904-576: A golf course, and later became a park designed by Jan Jenssen, famed national park designer. The Chicago Transit Authority in the 1940s extended its Belmont Street electric bus service beyond Central, transporting new patrons into the shopping district. Gas buses arrived in the 1970s. In March 1977, the opening of the Brickyard Shopping Mall on the former site of the Carey Brickyard property at Narragansett and Diversey added new vitality to

1017-471: A graduation rate of 84% for the 2022-23 school year. Unlike most school systems, CPS calls the position of superintendent the " Chief Executive Officer ", but there is no material difference in responsibilities or reporting from what is traditionally considered a superintendent. CPS reported a student–teacher ratio of 15.84 for the 2019–20 school year. For the 2020–21 school year, 46.7% of CPS students were Latino and 35.8% were African-American . 63.8% of

1130-443: A half-dozen employees, almost $ 900,000 was stolen in what Inspector General Nicholas Schuler called a "major purchasing and reimbursement scheme". The schools involved were later identified as Gage Park Academy and Michele Clark Magnet High School . A spokesman for CPS later issued a statement that "Chicago Public Schools is committed to working with the Office of the Inspector General to eliminate corruption, fraud and waste across

1243-505: A hotel at Whiskey Point, but the area remained rural until 20 years later, when Cragin Brothers & Company moved their tin plate and sheet iron processing plant near Whiskey Point. The plant and warehouses covered 11 acres (45,000 m), and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad built a station at Leclaire Avenue to accommodate all the employees. The station closed in 2006, replaced by

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1356-463: A liberal arts approach focusing on all areas. Classical school applications thus require a different type of assessment. At the secondary level, CPS operates ten selective enrollment high schools. These include Walter Payton College Prep , Northside College Prep , William Jones College Prep , Whitney M. Young Magnet High School , Albert G. Lane Technical College Prep , and Lindblom Math and Science Academy. Selective Enrollment high schools work on

1469-538: A merger with a larger system, not a slightly smaller one, could save the railroad. Almost immediately, the railroad filed unsuccessfully with the ICC to be included in the Union Pacific merger with the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad . By the mid-1970s, deferred maintenance on Milwaukee Road's physical plant, which had been increasing throughout the 1960s as it attempted to improve its financial appearance for merger,

1582-562: A point system out of 900 points: Competition to get into selective enrollment schools is fierce, and many factors decide whether students are admitted or not: Prior to the 2021-2022 school year, the point system included three categories, each weighted at 300 points instead of the current 450. Instead of the CPS High School Admissions Test, the district used the Selective Enrollment High School exam, and

1695-649: A ready source of copper in Anaconda, Montana . Between 1914 and 1916, the Milwaukee Road implemented a 3,000 volt direct current (DC) overhead system between Harlowton, Montana , and Avery, Idaho , a distance of 438 miles (705 km). Pleased with the result, the Milwaukee electrified its route in Washington between Othello and Tacoma , a further 207 miles (333 km), between 1917 and 1920. This section traversed

1808-595: A result of the closures did not improve their performance. This is what led to the Renaissance 2010 initiative, which focused on closing public schools and opening more charter schools that were focused on one of the government structures: charter, performance, or contract. During this program's time, it has closed over 80 schools and plans to open 100 charter schools. This also include five military schools , three of which have Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs. In response to CPS's announcements in 2013 that it

1921-547: A retail shopping district began to develop along Belmont Avenue, known as Belmont Central. It eventually drew in retailers that once included Goldblatt's Department Store, Woolworth's, Walgreens, Ben Franklin, SS Kresge's — later becoming K-mart in the Brickyard mall, JC Penney — also moving to the Brickyard Mall, IHOP restaurant, and Will Rodgers movie theatre. Children's playgrounds were built. Present-day Riis Park began life as

2034-476: A ridge that was formed by a glacier. It was settled by farmers before the population took off from residents leaving Chicago for better living conditions and new factories in the area. Belmont-Cragin was eventually annexed by the City of Chicago. Railroads drew more factories and workers to the area, which was annexed into Chicago as part of Jefferson Township in 1889. The Belt Railway Company extended its service into

2147-463: A superintendent, who in turn hires administrators such as principals, who then must be approved by the school board. In contrast, CPS is headed by a Chief Executive Officer and school board appointed by the mayor. It is currently the only school district in Illinois where the school board is appointed by a city's mayor. The school board will transition to consist entirely of elected members by 2027. CPS

2260-495: A tall concrete test stand at the corner of Fullerton and Normandy. Glidden paint was located just south of the train station on the 1800 block of North LeClaire Ave until the early 1980s. Cragin Department Store, located on the 4900 block of West Armitage, was a family-owned clothing and shoe store until the 1980s. Hawthorn Melody Dairy was located at Grand and Laramie. Reda's Liquors and Lizzi's House of Pizza were also located in

2373-466: Is a system of primary, secondary, and disability schools confined to Chicago's city limits. This system is the second largest employer in Chicago. Most schools in the district, whether prekindergarten-8th grade, elementary, middle, or secondary, have attendance boundaries restricting student enrollment to within a given area. A school may elect to enroll students outside its attendance boundaries if there

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2486-541: Is headed by a chief executive officer (CEO) appointed by the mayor. The current CEO is Pedro Martinez . The position of CEO, before it was created in 1995, was preceded by a position of "superintendent". In 1995, the Government of Illinois passed the Chicago School Reform Amendatory Act, which replaced the position of superintendent with that of chief executive Officer. The school board , known as

2599-577: Is headquartered in the 42 West Madison building in the Chicago Loop , formerly headquartered in the 125 South Clark Street building from 1998 until November 2014. The district has offices in Bridgeport , Colman , and Garfield Park . The 20 story building, managed by MB Real Estate, and originally built as the Commercial National Bank, has 570,910 square feet (53,039 m ) of space. CPS

2712-418: Is responsible for 122 charter schools during the 2017–2018 school year. A variety of organizations run these schools. Frazier Preparatory Academy, for example, is sponsored by an independent board of directors and run by education management organization Pansophic Learning . The Noble Network of Charter Schools runs eighteen high schools. These schools receive the majority of their operating budgets from

2825-431: Is space or if it has a magnet cluster program. Full magnet schools are open to citywide student enrollment, provided that applicants meet a level of high academic standards. Magnets offer a variety of academic programs with various focuses, such as agriculture, fine arts, international baccalaureate, Montessori, math, literature, Paideia programs, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). STEM Magnet Academy

2938-729: Is the first elementary school in the state of Illinois, and among the first in the nation, to offer a STEM-focused curriculum. The Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts) is the system's only audition based performing and visual arts high school. Chicago was the largest city in the country without a public high school for the arts until the establishment of ChiArts in 2009. The school system contains two levels of primary school programs which make selective admission only. Regional gifted centers have an area of focus (such as math and science) and require one type of assessment, akin to an IQ test . Classical schools, in contrast to regional gifted centers, take

3051-762: The Chicago High School for the Arts and the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences are also available. In partnership with various Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs, six high schools are operated as public military academies: Some high schools have been designated as "Career Academies." According to CPS, these schools have "intensified resources to prepare students for careers in business/finance, communications, construction, health, hospitality/food service, manufacturing, performing arts, and transportation. Vocational shops, science labs, broadcast journalism labs and media/computer centers help students gain 'hands on' experience." The Chicago district

3164-580: The Democratic Party in the past two presidential elections by large margins. In the 2016 presidential election , Belmont Cragin cast 15,403 votes for Hillary Clinton and cast 2,376 votes for Donald Trump (83.90% to 12.94%). In the 2012 presidential election , Belmont Cragin cast 12,398 votes for Barack Obama and cast 2,079 votes for Mitt Romney (84.75% to 14.21%). Chicago, Milwaukee %26 St. Paul Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (A CMStP&P ), better known as

3277-605: The Gallatin Gateway Inn in Montana, southwest of Bozeman , via a spur from Three Forks . The reorganized company scarcely had a chance for success before the Great Depression hit. Despite innovations such as the famous Hiawatha high-speed trains that exceeded 100 mph (160 km/h), the railroad again filed for bankruptcy in 1935. The Milwaukee Road operated under trusteeship until December 1, 1945. During WWII

3390-496: The Milwaukee District North Line and Milwaukee District West Line . Canadian Pacific dispatches Metra trains while running freight trains on both of these lines via trackage rights. Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools ( CPS ), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois , is the fourth-largest school district in

3503-731: The Milwaukee District West and Milwaukee District North Lines respectively, were turned over to the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Rail Corporation, a forerunner of commuter rail agency Metra ). Still in reorganization, the Milwaukee Road attracted interest from three potential buyers: the Grand Trunk Corporation , the Chicago and North Western Railway , and the Soo Line Railroad . The Interstate Commerce Commission approved

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3616-570: The Milwaukee Road ( reporting mark MILW ), was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experienced financial difficulty through the 1970s and 1980s, including bankruptcy in 1977 (though it filed for bankruptcy twice in 1925 and 1935, respectively). In 1980, it abandoned its Pacific Extension, which included track in

3729-677: The Pacific to remain competitive with other railroads. A survey in 1901 estimated costs to build to the Pacific Northwest as $ 45 million ($ 1.32 billion in 2023 dollars). In 1905, the board approved the Pacific Extension, now estimated at $ 60 million ($ 1.58 billion in 2023 dollars). The contract for the western part of the route was awarded to Horace Chapin Henry of Seattle . The subsidiary Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway Company

3842-471: The Rand McNally Building in Chicago, America's first all-steel framed skyscraper, in 1889 and 1890, with the car and locomotive shops staying in Milwaukee. The company's general offices were later located in Chicago's Railway Exchange building (built 1904) until 1924, at which time they moved to Chicago Union Station . In the 1890s, the company's directors felt they had to extend the railroad to

3955-499: The Rockies and the Cascades , required major civil engineering works and additional locomotive power. The completion of 2,300 miles (3,700 km) of railroad through some of the most varied topography in the nation in only three years was a major feat. Original company maps denote five mountain crossings: Belts, Rockies, Bitterroots , Saddles , and Cascades. These are slight misnomers as

4068-513: The State of Illinois and $ 1.3 billion from the U.S. Federal Government . Per student spending was reported at $ 18,287 in 2023. Chicago Public Schools led the nation in test score improvement, learned at a faster rate compared to 96% of all school districts in the country, and as of 2020, had an all-time high graduation rate. It has faced declining enrollments and school closings. More than 80 percent of CPS students are Hispanic or Black. As Chicago

4181-455: The "Hill Lines" was approved at around the same time, and the merged Burlington Northern came into being. The formation of Burlington Northern in 1970 from the merger of Northern Pacific , Great Northern , Burlington Route , and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway on March 3 created a stronger competitor on most Milwaukee Road routes. To boost competition, the ICC gave the Milwaukee Road

4294-452: The 1980s, among the total CPS student population, the numbers of non-Hispanic Whites declined while Hispanics and Latinos, African-Americans, and other minorities increased. In 1982 16.3% of the CPS students were non-Hispanic White, while over 19% were of Mexican, Puerto Rican, and/or Cuban origin; that year the Hispanic and Latino population had overtaken the non-Hispanic White population. CPS

4407-547: The 1990s actual rates seem to have improved slightly, as true graduation estimates rose from 48% in 1991 to 54% in 2004. In 1987, Education Secretary William J. Bennett called the Chicago Public Schools system the worst in the nation. In September 2011, the University of Chicago 's Consortium on Chicago School Research published a report on the school system's performance over the course of 30 years of reform. While

4520-846: The Belt mountains and Bitterroots are part of the Rockies. The route did not cross over the Little Belts or Big Belts , but over the Lenep-Loweth Ridge between the Castle Mountains and the Crazy Mountains . Some historians question the choice of route, since it bypassed some population centers and passed through areas with limited local traffic potential. Much of the line paralleled the Northern Pacific Railway . Trains magazine called

4633-690: The CMSt.P&P sponsored one of the Army's MRS units the 757th Railroad Shop Battalion. The Milwaukee Road enjoyed temporary success after World War II . Out of bankruptcy and with the wartime ban on new passenger service lifted, the company upgraded its trains. The Olympian Hiawatha began running between Chicago and the Puget Sound over the Pacific Extension in 1947, and the Twin Cities Hiawatha received new equipment in 1948. Dieselisation accelerated and

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4746-804: The Canadian National Railway. Regional passenger trains that the Milwaukee Road operated from Chicago up to Amtrak 's assumption of passenger operations in 1971 included the Twin Cities Hiawatha serving Minneapolis, the Sioux serving Madison, Wisconsin , the Milwaukee Express serving Milwaukee, and the Varsity serving Madison. Amtrak still operates several services on the Milwaukee Road's Twin Cities mainline. Daily long distance service to and from

4859-498: The Cascades through the 2 + 1 ⁄ 4 -mile (3.6 km) Snoqualmie Tunnel , just south of Snoqualmie Pass and over 400 feet (120 m) lower in elevation. The single-track tunnel's east portal at Hyak included an adjacent company-owned ski area (1937−1950). Together, the 645 miles (1,038 km) of main-line electrification represented the largest such project in the world up to that time, and would not be exceeded in

4972-638: The Chicago Board of Education is Jianan Shi. In 1988, the Government of Illinois passed the Chicago School Reform Act, which created Local School Councils. The April 21, 2006 issue of the Chicago Tribune revealed a study by the Consortium on Chicago School Research that stated that 6 of every 100 CPS freshmen would earn a bachelor's degree by age 25. 3 in 100 black or Latino men would earn

5085-456: The Chicago Board of Education, is currently appointed by the mayor of Chicago . Between 2024 and 2027, the board is slated to transition to consist entirely of elected members. The board traces its roots back to the Board of School Inspectors, created in 1837, which was renamed Chicago Board of Education in 1857. The Chicago Board of Education is led by a president . The current president of

5198-493: The Grand-Cicero station on Metra’s Milwaukee District/West Line. Cragin also purchased a rivet company and moved machinery and workers from Connecticut to the location. Job opportunities and rail service brought settlers and a housing boom to the town, now named Cragin. Within two years, Cragin's population was 200, and the community boasted a general store, two schoolhouses, and a Congregational church. The area rests on prairie and

5311-784: The John Wayne Pioneer Trail) in Washington, Milwaukee Road Rail Trail in Idaho, Route of the Hiawatha Trail in Idaho and Montana, Route of the Olympian in Montana, Midtown Greenway in Minnesota, Bugline Trail in Wisconsin, and Milwaukee Road Transportation Trailway in Indiana all run on sections of the right-of-way among others. Today, both the Milwaukee Road and Soo Line Railroad trackage make up

5424-655: The Midwest US routes of the CPKC . Following the 1984 abandonment of the Pacific Extension, Tacoma Rail purchased all of Milwaukee's lines south of Tacoma. Starting in 1990, the Chehalis–Centralia Railroad began operating over the section from Centralia to Curtis. In 2010 the line was sold to the Port of Chehalis and in 2019, The railroad purchased the line from Chehalis to Ruth. In 2021 the section from Highway 6 West to Curtis

5537-559: The Milwaukee Road after the Soo Line sale was its holding company, the Milwaukee Land Company, reverted to Chicago Milwaukee Corporation ownership (CMC). Without the railroad, CMC's primary function became disposal or redevelopment of Milwaukee Road real estate not sold to the Soo Line, which stretched from Bedford, Indiana, to Washington state. The larger properties were developed into big-box retail or industrial sites. The CMC itself

5650-490: The Milwaukee Road also operated an extensive commuter rail service in the Chicago area. One branch served the northern suburbs and extended into the outer suburbs of Milwaukee, while another branch served the western suburbs. These services passed to the Regional Transportation Authority in 1982 after the Milwaukee Road's bankruptcy. They are still operated today by Metra , Chicago's commuter rail agency, as

5763-719: The Milwaukee Road began as the Milwaukee and Waukesha Railroad in Wisconsin , whose goal was to link the developing Lake Michigan port City of Milwaukee with the Mississippi River . The company incorporated in 1847, but changed its name to the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad in 1850 before construction began. Its first line, 5 miles (8.0 km) long, opened between Milwaukee and Wauwatosa , on November 20, 1850. Extensions followed to Waukesha in February 1851, Madison , and finally

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5876-513: The Milwaukee Road exercised its right under the Burlington Northern merger to petition for inclusion based on its weak financial condition. The ICC denied it on March 2, 1977. Between 1974 and 1977, the Milwaukee Road lost $ 100 million, and the company filed for its third bankruptcy in 42 years on December 19, 1977. Judge Thomas R. McMillen presided over the bankruptcy until the Milwaukee Road's sale in 1985. The railroad's primary problem

5989-624: The Milwaukee Road for its "City" streamliners in 1955. The Milwaukee Road's Pioneer Limited was one of the first named trains and its colorful Hiawatha trains were among the nation's finest streamliners. The post-World War II Hiawatha trains remain a high-water mark for passenger train industrial design. Starting in November 1955, the Milwaukee Road assumed joint operation of the Union Pacific's City of Los Angeles , City of Portland , City of Denver , and Challenger trains as well as

6102-422: The Milwaukee Road held a staggering advantage over BN, carrying nearly 80% of the originating traffic along with 50% of the total container traffic leaving the Puget Sound (prior to severe service declines after roughly 1974). In 1970, the president of Chicago and North Western offered to sell the railroad to the Milwaukee Road outright. President William John Quinn refused, stating that it now believed only

6215-619: The Milwaukee Road's transcontinental service to the West Coast. While the Burlington Northern merger generated more traffic on this route, it was only enough to wear out the deteriorating track, not enough to pay for rebuilding. This forced trains to slow at many locations due to bad track. A final attempt to devise a plan to rehabilitate the Pacific Extension under the Milwaukee Road Restructuring Act failed. Operations ended west of Miles City, Montana , on February 29, 1980. The new, smaller railroad began earning small profits in 1982 (that same year, its two commuter rail lines, collectively known as

6328-418: The Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien in 1857. As a result of the financial panic of 1857, the M&M went into receivership in 1859, and was purchased by the Milwaukee and Prairie du Chien Railroad in 1861. In 1867, Alexander Mitchell combined the M&PdC with the Milwaukee and St. Paul (formerly the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad Company ) under the name Milwaukee and St. Paul . Critical to

6441-483: The Noble Network of Charter Schools was named the best performing large public charter school system in America by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and was awarded $ 250,000 by the foundation. The structure of Chicago Public Schools was redefined after Mayor Richard M. Daley convinced the Illinois General Assembly to place CPS under the mayor's control . Illinois school districts are generally governed by locally elected school boards, where each district board hires

6554-456: The Office of the Inspector General for Chicago Public schools received over 1300 complaints involving accusations of impropriety. Its subsequent 43-page report and audit noted that corruption and theft were still a major problem within CPS, detailing major theft of school funds, kickbacks to CPS employees, falsification of student transfer data, fraudulent selective enrollment applications, and ethics violations. In one particular case involving

6667-444: The Pacific Northwest is provided by the Empire Builder along the Chicago-St. Paul route after the train was rerouted by Amtrak on the first day of operations on May 1, 1971. Amtrak also operates corridor services as the Hiawatha along the Chicago-Milwaukee section of the route. In 2024, Amtrak began service for the Borealis , supplementing the Empire Builder with an extra daily round trip from Chicago to St. Paul. For years,

6780-429: The Polish immigrants and businesses who had come to the area earlier. A number of young middle-class professionals joined blue-collar laborers in the area. Residents formed an active coalition called the Northwest Neighborhood Federation to address increases in crime, gangs, and school overpopulation. By 1995, Hall Printing and other plants had closed their doors. The area experienced a drop in manufacturing employment and

6893-407: The Rice and Bullen Malting Company brought more people into Cragin. In 1922 W. F. Hall Printing Company erected a plant on 17 acres (69,000 m) adjacent to the Northwestern railroad line, which further spurred manufacturing development. Swedish, German, and Irish workers were among the earliest to move near these factories. By 1920, these jobs drew Poles and Italians as well, and the population of

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7006-434: The UP/ Southern Pacific City of San Francisco . After assuming operation of the UP's services, the Milwaukee Road gradually dropped its orange and maroon paint scheme in favor of UP's Armour yellow, grey, and red, finding the latter easier to keep clean. The Milwaukee Road's streamlined passenger services were unique in that most of its equipment was built by the railroad at its Milwaukee Menomonee Valley shops, including

7119-508: The US until the Pennsylvania Railroad 's efforts in the 1930s. The two separate electrified districts were never unified, as the 216-mile (348 km) Idaho Division (Avery to Othello) was comparatively flat down the St. Joe River to St. Maries and through eastern Washington , and posed few challenges for steam operation. Electrification cost $ 27 million, but resulted in savings of over $ 1 million per year from improved operational efficiency. The Chicago, Milwaukee, and Puget Sound Railway

7232-534: The United States, after New York , Los Angeles , and Miami-Dade County . For the 2023–24 school year, CPS reported overseeing 634 schools, including 477 elementary schools and 157 high schools ; of which 514 were district-run, 111 were charter schools , 7 were contract schools and 2 were SAFE schools. The district serves 323,251 students. Chicago Public School students attend a particular school based on their area of residence, except for charter, magnet, and selective enrollment schools. The school system reported

7345-519: The area are Steinmetz High School , Prosser Career Academy , and Foreman High School . A small portion of Belmont-Cragin is assigned to Schurz High School , located in the Irving Park neighborhood. The Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago operates many parish churches, grade schools and St. Patrick High School within the district. The Notre Dame High School for Girls closed its doors in 2016. There are 2 Chicago Public Library branches serving Belmont-Cragin The Belmont-Cragin community has supported

7458-399: The area in 1883, and plants developed in the new neighborhoods of Hanson Park and Galewood. In the same year, the Washburn and Moen Manufacturing Company launched a branch for its wire products, and the Western Brick and Tile Company found Galewood's superior clay soil conducive to business. By 1891, Westinghouse, Church, Kerr & Company Iron Works, the Pitts Agricultural Works Warehouse, and

7571-450: The area more than quadrupled in the next decade. By 1930 the population escalated to 60,221, one-third foreign-born. In the 1930s, the community area became known as Belmont Cragin. Other companies came to the area too including Zenith (TV and electronics), and Ecco (cooking ware). Builders inundated the area to fill the housing needs of area workers. Bungalows, Cape Cods, and two-flats offered a range of housing type choices. Especially popular

7684-411: The area. Dominick's grocery store was located on Central Ave. at Altgeld St. before the company was sold off and closed down. Tony's grocery store now anchors this location. Belmont Cragin's overall population grew by more than 6 percent in the 1980s and 37 percent in the 1990s. The Hispanic population grew from 3,072 in 1980 to 16,846 in 1990. By the 2000 Census, the area was 65 percent Hispanic, joining

7797-417: The building of the extension, primarily a long-haul route, "egregious" and a "disaster". George H. Drury listed the Pacific Extension as one of several "wrong decisions" made by the Milwaukee Road's management which contributed to the company's eventual failure. Beginning in 1909, several smaller railroads were acquired and expanded to form branch lines along the Pacific Extension. Operating conditions in

7910-470: The city of Chicago. The CTU gathered an upwards of 900 protesters to participate in rally's, marches, and sit-ins against Mayor Rahm Emanuel's decision to close the schools. Over 150 protesters participated in a sit-in in the middle of LaSalle Street, blocking traffic, and forcing the response of the Chicago Police Department . Many protesters peacefully left the scene when asked to by the CPD, but many held their ground. Protesters that did not agree to leave

8023-607: The city's elementary school students by providing at-home distance education through radio broadcasts . This was the first large-scale implementation of radio broadcasting for distance education . By the 1960s, schools across Chicago—and most of Illinois—were struggling to support themselves. Illinois school funding, according to scholar Tracy Steffes, was heavily reliant upon “funding by property taxes assessed in and bounded within districts of highly unequal wealth.” Wealthy districts paid less and got better schools, while poor districts got worse schools but paid even more. The problem

8136-455: The community, drawing city and suburban shoppers away from Belmont Central shopping district, Six Corners, suburbs and downtown. A 1981 addition of a nearby parking garage continued to contribute to business prosperity but the area had seen its days since the opening of the Brickyard Mall. The original Brickyard Mall was an enclosed three-level building but was demolished in 2003 to pave way for big box stores including Target and Lowe's, along with

8249-422: The development and financing of the railroad was the acquisition of significant land grants. Prominent individual investors in the line included Alexander Mitchell, Russell Sage , Jeremiah Milbank , and William Rockefeller . In 1874, the name was changed to Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul after constructing an extension to Chicago in 1872. The company absorbed the Chicago and Pacific Railroad Company in 1879,

8362-557: The district." In April 2015, Barbara Byrd-Bennett , the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, took a leave of absence during a federal investigation of a no-bid contract to a professional development organization that she had previously worked for as a consultant . She resigned from the position in June 2015. In October a federal grand jury delivered a 23 count indictment against Bennett and alleged co-conspirators. Bennett would go on to plead guilty to

8475-462: The eleven days added to their school year. For the 2018–2019 school year, CPS reports having 361,314 students including 17,668 in preschool, 24,128 in kindergarten, 213,651 in grades 1–8, and 105,867 in grades 9-12. The racial makeup of the student body is 46.7% Hispanics, 36.6% African-Americans, 10.5% White, 4.1% Asian/Pacific Islander, 1.2% Multi-Racial, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and 0.3% unknown. Chicago Public Schools were

8588-429: The end of private intercity passenger operations in 1971. The Milwaukee prided itself on its passenger operations, providing the nation with some of its most innovative and colorful trains. The railroad's home-built equipment was among some of the best passenger equipment ever run on any American railroad. The Milwaukee's reputation for high-quality service was the principal reason that Union Pacific shifted its service to

8701-455: The four generations of Hiawatha equipment introduced in 1933–34, 1935, 1937–38, and 1947–48. Most striking were the " Beaver Tail " observation cars of the 1930s and the " Skytop Lounge " observation cars by industrial designer Brooks Stevens in the 1940s. Extended "Skytop Lounge" cars were also ordered from Pullman for Olympian Hiawatha service in 1951. The Olympian Hiawatha set, as well as some full-length " Super Domes " were later sold to

8814-605: The most racial-ethnically separated among large city school systems, according to research by The New York Times in 2012, as a result of most students' attending schools close to their homes. In the 1970s the Mexican origin student population grew in CPS, although it never exceeded 10% of the total CPS student population. From 1971 to 1977 and then to 1979, the Mexican student population in the Near West Side 's CPS district 19 increased from 34% to 43% and then over 47%, respectively. In

8927-449: The mountain regions of the Pacific Extension proved difficult. Winter temperatures of −40 °F (−40 °C) in Montana made it challenging for steam locomotives to generate sufficient steam. The line snaked through mountainous areas, resulting in "long steep grades and sharp curves". Electrification provided an answer, especially with abundant hydroelectric power in the mountains, and

9040-455: The neglect of the city's public school system. Soon after the strike, CEO Jean-Claude Brizard stepped down from his position. On October 17, 2019, The Chicago Teachers Union began another strike that lasted 11 days. The contract negotiated by the CTU and Mayor Lori Lightfoot resulted in the teachers winning smaller class sizes as well as more support staff. Furthermore, the students will have five of

9153-528: The offers by both Soo Line and C&NW. Ultimately, Judge McMillen approved the former's offer on February 19, 1985. The Soo reorganized the property as The Milwaukee Road, Inc. , prior to merging the Milwaukee into the company itself effective January 1, 1986. The Soo Line would be acquired by Canadian Pacific in 1990 with the latter consolidating with the Kansas City Southern Railway 33 years later. The successor-in-interest to what remained of

9266-585: The old cars rather than buying new ones. This contributed to car shortages that turned away business. The Milwaukee Road chose at this time to end its mainline electrification. Its electric locomotive fleet was reaching the end of its service life, and newer diesel locomotives such as the EMD SD40-2 and the GE Universal Series were more than capable of handling the route. The final electric freight arrived at Deer Lodge, Montana on June 15, 1974. In 1976,

9379-493: The possibility of overcrowding and safety concerns for students who will have to travel further to class." On May 22, 2013, the school board voted to close 50 public schools. However, the majority of the closed schools have been in poor neighborhoods with a black population, such as Bronzeville . These areas are not only sites of demolished public housing, but now to closed-down schools. For every four schools that have been closed, three have been in these neighborhoods. Over 88% of

9492-401: The race which attended the particular school". In 1937, the city was hit by a polio outbreak which resulted in the Chicago Board of Health ordering schools to be closed during what was supposed to be the start of the school year. The school closure wound up lasting three weeks. Superintendent William Johnson and assistant superintendent Minnie Fallon managed to provide the instruction to

9605-716: The railroad that built the Bloomingdale Line (now The 606) and what became the Milwaukee District / West Line as part of the 36-mile Elgin Subdivision from Halsted Street in Chicago to the suburb of Elgin, Illinois . In 1890, the company purchased the Milwaukee and Northern Railroad; by now, the railroad had lines running through Wisconsin, Minnesota , Iowa , South Dakota , and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan . The corporate headquarters were moved from Milwaukee to

9718-411: The report evaluated three decades of reform, it measured the progress of such policies by "analyzing trends in elementary and high school test scores and graduation rates over the past 20 years." The authors of the report highlighted five of their central conclusions: The Illinois state government required Chicago Public Schools to move money from education to worker pensions. CPS is the only district in

9831-502: The right to connect with new railroads in the West over Burlington Northern tracks. Traffic on its Pacific Extension increased substantially to more than four trains a day each way as it began interchanging cars with Southern Pacific at Portland, Oregon and Canadian railroads at Sumas, Washington . The railroad's foothold on transcontinental traffic leaving the Port of Seattle increased such that

9944-708: The same tax sources as CPS. Charters in Chicago receive 10-25% less public funding than traditional schools, although some studies show their student achievement and performance metrics to be the same as traditional CPS results. However, in October 2014, the University of Minnesota released a study that shows that Chicago charter schools perform worse than traditional schools in producing students that meet or exceed standards in reading and math. The study also showed that charter schools have lower graduation rates and "are much less likely to be racially or ethnically diverse." In 2015,

10057-526: The scene were issued tickets. Over 50 people were arrested throughout the entire protests, but no acts of violence were reported. The teachers union first strike occurred in May 1969, which lasted two days. The second strike occurred in January 1971, lasting four days from January 12 through January 15. The strike resulted in an 8% teacher's salary increase and a 7% increase for school staff workers. Another strike by

10170-554: The schools was met with rage and feelings of injustice by the communities affected and the Chicago Teachers Union. As a result, the CTU and other education activities responded by protesting. In May 2013, the Chicago Teachers Union were joined by students and other education activities to march against the closings of 54 public schools that year. The activists planned three days of nonviolent demonstrations across

10283-500: The state that the state government has done this to. CPS filed a civil lawsuit to ask the courts to require the state to rewrite its rules on how it funds schools. The lawsuit was filed in Cook County Circuit Court on February 14, 2017, and is CPS v. Governor Bruce Rauner , Illinois State Board of Education and its chairman Rev. James T. Meeks, Comptroller Susan Mendoza, and state school Superintendent Tony Smith. In 2014,

10396-574: The states of Montana , Idaho , and Washington . The remaining system was merged into the Soo Line Railroad ( reporting mark SOO ), a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Kansas City ( reporting mark CPKC ), on January 1, 1986. Much of its historical trackage remains in use by other railroads. The company brand is commemorated by buildings like the historic Milwaukee Road Depot in Minneapolis and preserved locomotives such as Milwaukee Road 261 which operates excursion trains. The railroad that became

10509-520: The strip mall making it more automobile friendly rather than pedestrian friendly. Jewel Osco was originally in the location of Target in the old mall floor plan that once included Montgomery Ward and JC Penney department stores and K-mart. Until the early 1980s, Central Soya and its silos were located south of Grand Ave on Laramie; In 1943, Revere Copper opened a war material plant where Grand Ave. meets Fullerton Ave. From 1953 to 1963, Western Electric assembled mobile radar units in this structure and erected

10622-451: The student body came from economically-disadvantaged households, and 18.6% of students were reported as English-language learners . Average salaries for the 2019-20 year were $ 74,225 for teachers and $ 114,199 for administrators. For the 2020–21 school year, CPS reported 39,323 staff positions, including 21,974 teachers and 516 principals. In 2021, CPS reported a budget of $ 6.92 billion with $ 3.75 billion from local sources, $ 1.85 billion from

10735-572: The students affected by these closings have been African American. In 2013, Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago initiated the closing of 54 public schools. Of the 54 public schools to be closed were 53 elementary schools and one high school. Mayor Rahm Emanuel claimed the school closings were a direct result from the nearly $ 1 billion deficit the city was facing due to under-enrollment at the schools. The schools to be closed were located on Chicago's South and West sides which provided education to mainly African-American Students. The Mayors decision to close

10848-542: The third category was based on the students' percentile score on the NWEA MAP test. In addition to the selective enrollment high schools, a number of other possibilities exist for high school students. These include military academies, career academies, and charter schools. Lincoln Park High School and Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center are neighborhood "magnet" high schools, which also offer various honors programs to students citywide. More specialized options, such as

10961-524: The transcontinental routes to the Pacific was tough. The premier transcontinental streamliner, the Olympian Hiawatha , despite innovative scenic observation cars, was mothballed in 1961, becoming the first visible casualty. The resignation of President John P. Kiley in 1957 and his replacement with the fairly inexperienced William John Quinn was a pivotal moment. From that point onward, the road's management

11074-520: The union occurred in January 1973, which lasted twelve days. The union was requesting that their salaries be increased and their class sizes be smaller. On September 3, 1975, The union went on strike for eleven days as a result to restore the loss of teaching and clerical jobs, overcrowding of classrooms. In February 1980, the union went on strike again for a total of ten days; asking for paydays worked during financial crisis, changes to school board's spending cuts and job cuts. In 1983, CPS teachers went on

11187-427: Was abolished in the late 1980s, and acute funding issues continue both in Chicago and across Illinois. From 2001 to 2009, CPS, under Arne Duncan 's leadership, closed dozens of elementary and high schools due to classrooms being at low capacity or underperforming. Despite claims that the closures would help underperforming students, University of Chicago researchers found that most of the students who transferred as

11300-417: Was absorbed by the parent company on January 1, 1913. The Pacific Extension, including subsequent electrification, cost the Milwaukee Road $ 257 million, over four times the original estimate of $ 60 million. To meet this cost, the Milwaukee Road sold bonds, which began coming due in the 1920s. Traffic never met projections, and by the early 1920s, the Milwaukee Road was in serious financial condition. This state

11413-432: Was beginning to cause problems. The railroad's financial problems were exacerbated by their practice of improving its earnings during that period by selling off its wholly owned cars to financial institutions and leasing them back. The lease charges became greater, and more cars needed to be sold to pay the lease payments. The railroad's fleet of cars was becoming older because more money was being spent on finance payments for

11526-452: Was beset with legal and financial woes, filing for bankruptcy (under numerous versions of CMC/Heartland Partners), as a result of environmental cleanup costs and liabilities at former Milwaukee Road sites. CMC Heartland, and its various reincarnations, were dissolved in a final liquidation process that came to a close in 2010. Much of the abandoned Milwaukee PCE line has become rail trails . The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail (formerly

11639-519: Was chartered in 1905 to build from the Missouri River to Seattle and Tacoma. Construction began in 1906 and was completed three years later. The route chosen was 18 miles (29 km) shorter than the next shortest competitor's, as well as better grades than some, but it was an expensive route, since Milwaukee Road received few land grants and had to buy most of the land or acquire smaller railroads. The two main mountain ranges that had to be crossed,

11752-408: Was complete by 1957. In 1955, the Milwaukee Road took over from the Chicago and North Western 's handling of Union Pacific 's streamliner trains between Chicago and Omaha . The whole railroad industry found itself in decline in the late 1950s and the 1960s, but the Milwaukee Road was hit particularly hard. The Midwest was overbuilt with a plethora of competing railroads, while the competition on

11865-618: Was compounded by “soft” segregation measures such as redlining and “ white flight ,” which further delineated Chicago communities upon lines of both wealth and race. The introduction of the Illinois Resource Equalizer Formula in 1973 was intended to address this crisis by restructuring school financing to more evenly distribute property tax money, but many affluent white families protested the use of their taxes to pay for other (predominantly Black) communities’ education, rather than only their own district's schools. The formula

11978-517: Was considered, but not pursued. In 1980 the secondary line between Marquette, Iowa and Rapid City, South Dakota on its section between Mitchell and Kadoka was embargoed and then acquired by the South Dakota Department of Transportation . Between 1977 and 1984, route distance was reduced to a quarter from its peak and a third from its total in 1977, shrinking to 3,023 miles (4,865 km). The most extensive abandonment eliminated

12091-477: Was considering closing nearly 200 schools, many Chicago parents, students, teachers and community activists voiced their opposition through the media and at hearings around the city. In addition, several Illinois lawmakers, including chairman of the Senate education committee William Delgado (D-Chicago), pushed for a moratorium on school closings in CPS, citing "the disproportion[ate] effect on minority communities,

12204-549: Was exacerbated by the railroad's purchase of several heavily indebted railroads in Indiana . The company declared bankruptcy in 1925 and reorganized as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad in 1928. In 1929, its total mileage stood at 11,248 miles (18,102 km). In 1927, the railroad launched its second edition of the Olympian as a premier luxury limited passenger train and opened its first railroad-owned tourist hotel,

12317-556: Was fixated on merger with another railroad as the solution to the Milwaukee's problems. Railroad mergers had to be approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission , and in 1969 the ICC effectively blocked the merger with the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) that the Milwaukee Road had counted on and had been planning for since 1964. The ICC asked for terms that the C&;NW was not willing to agree to. The merger of

12430-643: Was leased. Milwaukee Road Historical Association now owns the Milwaukee Road trademarks/copyrights, except for the AAR reporting marks (MILW) used by the Soo Line Railroad (which does business in the American Midwest as the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway). The Milwaukee Road aggressively marketed passenger service through much of its history, maintaining a high quality of service until

12543-443: Was started as a trading outpost in the 1800s, it took several years for a citywide school system with adequate funding and instructional personnel to emerge. As early as 1848, during the first term of the 12th Mayor of Chicago , James Hutchinson Woodworth , the city's need for a public school system was recognized by the city council. A higher educational standard for the system was stated by the mayor, both to reflect his philosophy as

12656-405: Was that it possessed too much physical plant for the revenue it generated. In 1977, it owned 10,074 miles (16,213 km) of track, and 36% of that mileage produced a mere 14% of the company's yearly revenue. The approach taken by the bankruptcy trustees was to sell or abandon unprofitable or marginally profitable lines, leaving a much smaller railroad which could be profitable. Outright liquidation

12769-405: Was the subdivided residential neighborhood on the eastern border named Belmont Park. During the postwar years, until the 1990s, mostly descendants of Europeans, mostly already assimilated second, third and fourth generation German, Greek, Irish, Italian, Polish, and Scandinavians had populated the area. The area was heavily dominated by both Catholic and Lutheran churches and schools. In the 1920s

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