Grant Statue, Lincoln Park?

Taken inside Lincoln Park just west of Lakeshore Drive, 6:41 a.m.

If you ever end up taking one of those double decker tours or any other tourist-oriented guide you will most certainly come across this statue. It is a statue of Ulysses Grant and yet you won't find it in Grant Park ironically. Instead it resides on the eastern edge of Lincoln Park just south of the zoo. Oddly enough there is a famous statue of Abraham Lincoln that can be found in the heart of Grant Park. Hmmm? There's a story that has both statues being delivered and installed in the wrong park. After they were installed and the mistake was discovered it was decided to let them remain in opposite parks. As interesting as that may sound it isn't what really happened. The city of Chicago's website explains the real story . . . "It's a Chicago curiosity, but can easily be explained by knowing the history of Chicago's prominent lakefront parks. Lincoln Park was Chicago's first park, well established at the time of Grant's death. The mud-covered remains of the Great Chicago Fire would be developed as a series of formal gardens after the turn of the century and named for Grant, another honor for this great Civil War hero."


Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission