olson rug park and waterfall, chicago, il (1935-1978)livinghistoryofillinois.com/pdf_files/olson...

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Olson Rug Park and Waterfall, Chicago, IL (1935-1978) Olson Rug Company was established in 1874. The manufacturing mill was located in Chicago at Diversey Ave. and Pulaski (then named Crawford). During the war era, when raw material was scarce, people would send in their old wool rugs, rags, clothing etc. and Olson Rug would turn them into a beautiful area rug. The family owned business was "the place" to buy rugs for many years.

Mr. Walter E. Olson built a 22-acre park right next to his rug manufacturing mill and used the occasion to build a park for his employees on the grounds. Olson had a summer home in Wisconsin, and he wanted to bring a bit of the north woods to the crowded Avondale neighborhood. Approximately 3,500 perennials, along with numerous species of pines, junipers, spruces, arbor-vitaes and annuals served as a stark contrast to the area’s industrial surroundings. Olson Park’s stunning rock garden, duck pond, and 35-foot waterfall made it a Chicago destination for family outings for decades.

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The opening of the park took place on September 27, 1935, what was then American Indian Day in Illinois (fourth Saturday of September) as well as the 100th anniversary of a treaty resulted in the final expulsion of the Pottawatomies, Chippewas, and Ottawas across the Mississippi and included a symbolic gesture deeding back the area of the park to the Indians. During the first Sunday after its dedication Olson Park attracted as many as 600 visitors per hour. This theme was kept up with visiting Native American chiefs performing war dances, in authentic time period clothing, periodically at the park.

As Olson Rug Park became more elaborate, it was opened to the public free of charge. A trailer was set up to serve hot dogs, lemonade and other staples. The word spread. By 1955 over 200,000 people a year were visiting the park. Decor changed with the season. At Christmas there was the obligatory Santa, at Easter the obligatory Easter Bunny. Halloween saw a floodlit moon hung over the waterfall, complete with a witch on a broomstick. Some years the great lawn featured a re-creation on McCutcheon's famed cartoon "Injun Summer."

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Marshall Field & Company bought the Olson Rug plant and turned it into a warehouse in 1965, but kept the park operating until 1978. Then it was bulldozed in favor of more parking.

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Note: The "Injun Summer" article and drawings were first published in the Chicago Tribune, written by, John T. McCutcheon, and printed in the September 30, 1907 newspaper. McCutcheon won a Pulitzer Prize in 1932, the first Tribune staff member to receive journalism's coveted award. You can get a high-resolution print (3 kinds of paper or canvas) in sizes up to 40”x60” here: http://www.zazzle.com/illinoishistory/injun

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olson rug park and waterfall, chicago, il (1935-1978)livinghistoryofillinois.com/pdf_files/olson...

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