Streeterville

I really, truly love this country. Because, rather than in spite, of its eccentricities, there is always something great to learn, and because we bring our kids with us when we travel (I am a consultant; I travel a lot), we can teach them a lot of things they'd never get in class.

Here's what we learned today:

The area we live in is called Streeterville, and is named for Captain George Streeter. In 1886, he ran his boat aground just Northwest of where we currently live. (The East part of Chicago was built up like Holland: we are living on former lake.) Unable to float the boat, and with it silting in, he declared it an independent district, and repeatedly drove off authorities who tried to seize the "duchy". He was let off for assault with a deadly weapon, because buckshot was not considered deadly. He was let off for wounding policemen who tried to evict him, because he was considered to be acting in self-defense.

Though he eventually moved away from his boat, he continued to fight for the "duchy" until his death in 1921.