On the corner of Wacker Drive and LaSalle Street this marker stands, memorializing the place where over 800 people lost their lives in the Chicago River. We found the sign on a 2016 visit to Chicago.
A boat preparing to carry Western Electric factory workers and their families on a day trip rolled over while still at the dock and people drowned in 20 feet of water. The already 'listing' problem of the S.S. Eastland was exacerbated by the addition of lifeboats near the top, boats that were added due to the Titanic disaster of 1912. Here are are three photos from the internet.
Many books have been written about this disaster and its aftermath if you're interested additional details. We're glad that Chicago remembers the place where entire families were lost in one tragic morning.
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