Bread Riot of 1872-3 - LaSalle Street Tunnel

From Haymarket Revisited:

"This tunnel was the scene of the "Bread Riot" during the Winter of 1872-73 when thousands were starving as a result of the Great Fire and the depression that followed.

Instead of receiving help from the offices of the Relief and Aid Society at LaSalle and Randolph, the protesting workers were driven into this tunnel by Deputy Joseph Dixon. The police closed in from both sides and clubbed, beat, and killed several trapped in the tunnel. Leading businessmen had been borrowing money from relief funds at little or no interest for the redevelopment of their businesses."


Currently in the area of the LaSalle Street Tunnel site there is no historical plaque commemorating this tragedy. There is, however, a historical plaque from 2003 noting the location of the 25,000th 7-Eleven convenience store.