Lincoln Park (Chicago)

Lincoln Park is located in Chicago, Illinois and may be used to describe Lincoln Park the neighborhood, Lincoln Park the park or Lincoln Park the zoo. Lincoln Park is also the name of some places:

• Lincoln Park, Michigan
• Lincoln Park, New Jersey
• Lincoln Park, a neighborhood in Rockville, Maryland

Linkin Park, a nu metal band, is intentionally misspelled based on an area in Los Angeles.

History

The area now known as Lincoln Park in Chicago was still primarily forest with stretches of grassland and occasional quicksand, and was virtually untouched by Europeans as late as the 1820s.

In 1824, the U.S. Army built a small post near today's Clybourn and Armitage Avenues. Indian settlements existed along Green Bay Road, now called Clark Street (named after explorer George Rogers Clark), at the current intersection of Halsted Street and Fullerton Avenue.

In 1836, land from North to Fullerton and from the lake to Halsted was inexpensive, costing $150 per acre. Because the area was considered remote, a small pox hospital and the city cemetery were located in Lincoln Park until the 1860s.

In 1837, Chicago was incorporated as a city and North Avenue was established as its northern boundary. Settlements increased along Green Bay Road (now Clark Street) when (1) the government offered land claims and (2) Green Bay Road was widened.