http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/
Here's an interesting site to bring history closer to home...the Chicago Historical Society site; the Encyclopedia of Chicago. There are maps, advertisements, photos and other entries to make the history of this area come alive. Special Features include:
Special Features
Interpretive Digital Essays
Plan of Chicago
Water in Chicago
Rich Maps
Labor Unrest in Chicago, April 25-May 4, 1886
Worlds of Prairie Avenue
Galleries
Governing Space
The Grid
How Chicagoans Remember Their History
The Public Faces of Religion
Video Gallery : Chicago on Screen
Indices
Biographical Dictionary
Dictionary of Leading Chicago Businesses (1820-2000)
Timeline and Year Pages
Timeline
Year Pages
Tables
Chicago Homicide Rates per 100,000 residents, 1870-2000
Chicago Mayors, 1837-2003
Chicago's Tallest Buildings Since 1854
Chicago's Weather Extremes
Development of Railroad Lines from Chicago
Foreign-Language Broadcasting in the Chicago Area, 1956-1995
National Historic Landmarks in the Chicago Metropolitan Area
Selected Chicago Daily Newspapers, English Language
Selected Chicago Daily Newspapers, Foreign Language
Selected Chicago Daily Newspapers, Outside Chicago