While everyone waits for the corn on the cob to finish grilling, here’s a bite-sized piece of Chicago history you can bring to the cookout. (As if bringing your grill isn’t enough!)
Until the 1970s, Back of the Yards was known as the country’s largest meat-packing center. Due to the area’s high concentration of railroads, it was home to the former Union Stockyard and a large sprawl of packing plants and related businesses.
Miles of stockyards held millions of live animals waiting to be butchered. At their largest, the stockyards stretched across an area the size of about 1.5 Grant Parks, according to the Chicago History Museum. The industry employed thousands of workers, who established some of the city’s first labor unions to fight for better wages and working conditions.
After processing its 1 billionth animal, the Union Stockyard closed in 1971. Automation and other changes made Chicago’s meatpacking district less relevant.
While the stockyards are long gone, one neighborhood business is still helping Chicagoans stock their summer grills.
One of Back of The Yards’ last remaining slaughterhouses, Park Packing, is dedicated to supplying customers locally sourced meat, poultry, and fish through wholesale orders and a public meat market.
For three generations, the owners of this family-run business have shared their expertise with customers preparing for backyard barbecues and family gatherings.
And by the time you’ve finished explaining all of that, your dinner should be ready!
