ABOUT THIS BOOK

In a story that brings to life the founding of one of the world's great cities, Fort Dearborn takes us back to Chicago's early struggle of fire and blood. Through the eyes of two young boys and their fathers—one father a sergeant with the United States First Infantry, the other a Potawatomi warrior—we see the events that lead up to the Fort Dearborn Massacre. Using scores of letters, historical documents and maps, and long-forgotten Native American speeches, Jerry Crimmins breathes life into the little known drama that took place in the vicinity of the fort that once occupied what is now downtown Chicago. A suspenseful narrative, Fort Dearborn is also a remarkable historical account, minutely observed and meticulously documented, preserving a key moment in American history.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

JERRY CRIMMINS has been a reporter and editor in the Chicago newspaper business for more than thirty years at the Chicago Tribune, the Associated Press, the City News Bureau of Chicago, and now at the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.

REVIEWS

"This is a book that speaks softly but carries a big stick. Read it and then pause. Be prepared to reflect on what it tells us about the Chicago experience, and finally, what it suggests about human nature and the striving for a just and fulfilling society that we call civilization." —Gerald A. Danzer, Professor of History Emeritus, University of Illinois at Chicago

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"The brief, turbulent and fascinating period of the first Fort Dearborn's existence (1803–1812) was an important milestone in Chicago's history. Its people and events serve as inspiration and stage for Jerry Crimmins' novel Fort Dearborn, which provides an excellent example of how historic fiction can achieve the entwined goals of education and entertainment." —Ulrich Danckers and Jane Meredith, co-authors of Early Chicago— -

"This book reminds me of another great novel about 19th Century Chicago, The Devil in the White City. So read both books but without doubt read Crimmins' epic first. Read it for the great pleasure of experiencing a well told story." —Arny Reichler, Director of External Studies and Instructor of Chicago History, Roosevelt University

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter 1. Future Site of Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive, Chicago
Chapter 2. Quarrel on the Prairie
Chapter 3. Indians
Chapter 4. Boys and Trouble
Chapter 5. At Fort Dearborn
Chapter 6. The Fort
Chapter 7. Spotted Trout's Dream
Chapter 8. Sergeant and Son
Chapter 9. Main Poc
Chapter 10. Leigh Farm
Chapter 11. The Challenge
Chapter 12. To the Finish
Chapter 13. The Changing of the Guard
Chapter 14. Black Partridge
Chapter 15. The MIddle Ground Unravels
Chapter 16. Hen Splashes
Chapter 17. Signs and Wonders
Chapter 18. Jimmy and Johnny
Chapter 19. Russell and Leigh Farm
Chapter 20. Feud Again
Chapter 21. Patrol
Chapter 22. Express Rider
Chapter 23. Lalime and Kinzie
Chapter 24. Eleanor Kinzie
Chapter 25. The Choice
Chapter 26. An Order Arrives
Chapter 27. "War Array"
Chapter 28. William Wells
Chapter 29. Options
Chapter 30. Indian Country
Chapter 31. The Debate
Chapter 32. Night and Morning
Chapter 33. The Battle Begins
Chapter 34. The Indians
Chapter 35. Strong Pike
Chapter 36. Aftermath
Author's Note
Methodology
Notes Bibliography

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