Place of Smelly Waters

It was mid-August, and I arrived in Chicago as temperatures were skyrocketing. The shores of Lake Michigan were crowded with people soaking in the sun, watching the air show and taking a stroll along the waterfront path.

I had come to Chicago to see Where Are You Go – a documentary about our company’s epic cycling event in Africa. You can read more about the film in my post from a few weeks ago.

But the film was only half the reason I was in Chicago. It was also a chance to explore a city I had only been to once before. I rented a bike and made use of Chicago’s extensive lakefront paths to see more of the city. The network of cycling and pedestrian paths reminds me a lot of what we have in Toronto; just better.

I had a map and plotted out a route down the lake, and then circling back through the city to the near north side where my hotel was. The route took me past Prez Obama’s house and into Washington Park to the DuSable Museum of African American History; which is where I got the inspiration for the title of this post.

The museum had come recommended by several sources and seemed like a good southernmost destination for the day out in the city.

It is named for Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable – a Haitian American Pioneer of French and African descent. In the early 1770s  he became the first known settler to the region that is now the metropolis of Chicago. He built a house and opened a trading post in what was known then as Eschikagou.

To native americans of that area, Eschikagou meant place of smelly waters. Jean-Baptiste no doubt would have noticed the strong smell of wild garlic growing along the banks of Lake Michigan, and could appreciate why it was given such a name.

Interestingly, I read this fact on a plaque in the foyer of the museum, but if you search Eschikagou online, you would be hard pressed to find information anywhere that connects Eschikagou to the smelly meaning.

Besides learning about the origins of the city, the museum is an excellent place for anyone to get a glimpse into the fascinating history of African Americans, like DuSable, who played such a large part in shaping the city that you find today.