Family Day - African American History Month

Learn about the founding of Chicago through hands-on activities!

Have fun constructing your own natural water filter (that works just like Chicago’s swampland), making Native American hand-crafts, and discovering the furry animals that were so important to Chicago’s early days.

In 1779, Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, a Haitian of African and French descent, established the trading post and permanent settlement which would become known as Chicago. Explore why DuSable settled here and how he used natural resources to establish a successful river trade-route to sell his fur pelts and plant crops.