Indian Boundary Park is a urban park in the West Ridge neighborhood of

North Side, Chicago Chicago is the third largest city in the United States with a population of 2,853,114 (2009). It is located in the state of Illinois, on the shores of Lake Michigan. The city is the county seat of Cook County. Geography of Chicago Chicago ...

, Illinois.

History

The park opened in 1922.Alice Sinkevitch, et al. ''AIA Guide to Chicago''. American Institute of Architects. 2004. 248. It is named after a boundary line that was determined in the 1816 Treaty of St. Louis between the

Odawa The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ), said to mean "traders", are an Indigenous American ethnic group who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, commonly known as the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. They h ...

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

, and

Potawatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

tribes and the United States government. The line ran through the present park.

Former zoo

Indian Boundary Park once had a small zoo, which began with a single

American black bear The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), also called simply a black bear or sometimes a baribal, is a medium-sized bear endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. American black bear ...

. In later years, it primarily housed farm animals, such as goats, ducks, and chickens.Indian Boundary Park & Cultural Center
Chicago Park District. Retrieved on May 14, 2012. The zoo was maintained by the Zoological Society of the Lincoln Park Zoo. In 2013, the zoo at Indian Boundary Park was closed and the remaining few animals were sent to Lincoln Park Zoo.

Facilities

Indian Boundary Park is noted for its fieldhouse, which was completed in 1929. The design of the fieldhouse incorporates Native American and Tudor elements. In 1989, a large playground was added to the park and assembled with the help of neighborhood residents. The park was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1995, and the fieldhouse was named a

Chicago Landmark Chicago Landmark is a designation by the Mayor and the City Council of Chicago for historic sites in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, arch ...

in 2005. The historic fieldhouse was extensively damaged by a fire on May 20, 2012. Restoration to the fieldhouse began in the late summer of 2013 after extensive negotiations between the

Chicago Park District The Chicago Park District is one of the oldest and the largest park districts in the United States. As of 2016, there are over 600 parks included in the Chicago Park District as well as 27 beaches, several boat harbors, two botanic conservatorie ...

and the insurance provider. It was fully restored on July 14, 2014 with help from the park supervisor, Philip Martini.

References

External links

Indian Boundary Park Advisory Council
{{authority control 1922 establishments in Illinois Historic districts in Chicago Chicago Landmarks Former zoos Native American history of Illinois North Side, Chicago Odawa Ojibwe Parks in Chicago Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago Potawatomi Zoos established in 1922 Zoos disestablished in 2013 Zoos in Illinois