Pullman, Illinois

As industrialization spread across the United States in the mid-18th century, so too did the need for better treatment of workers. During the violence that surrounded the 1877 railroad strike in Chicago, the railroad car magnate George M. Pullman decided to eliminate the issue of worker discontent by giving the workers some of what they were demanding. The idea that Pullman came up with was touted as a model for the worker of the future, as well as a utopian ideal, but in the end, the construction of the town of Pullman changed not only Pullman's company but Chicago and the country as well.

Pullman was no stranger to Chicago. He made his first fortune in the city in 1855 when the new sewer and water system was installed. Pullman was hired to raise the buildings to a uniform height, which was accomplished through the use of jacks used by large teams of men. He later returned in the early 1860s and established the Pullman Palace Car Company. His car was featured in the funeral train that brought Abraham Lincoln's body back to Springfield. By 1877, the workers for many of the industries not only in Chicago but across the country were striking in favor of better pay and fewer hours of work. Pullman, who felt that the workers had too much time on their hands, sought a better solution: a company town. Inspired in part by the English worker town of Saltaire, Pullman approached Solon Beman, an architect and landscaper, and commissioned him to design the ideal workers' town.

The company town was situated along Lake Calumet to the south of Chicago proper. Named for the company and its president, the town of Pullman offered its workers the things that they often complained about not having. The workers lived in houses made of brick that featured the latest in amenities, such as running water, gas, indoor toilets, and later on electric lights. The workers' rent was taken out of their wages. Pullman also commissioned the building of stores and recreational facilities to augment the work facilities. His idea was to make the town selfcontained so that the workers would not have to go outside the town for supplies, or more ominously, seek influence from others who might not agree with the town or its founder. Workers could spend their leisure hours taking classes, watching theater, or playing on one of the company-sponsored sports teams.

Pullman felt that if the workers could have healthy diversions, then they would be more productive and, [Page 632]more important, would have no need for unionization. While Pullman was touted as a visionary for his model town, there were ulterior motives. For example, while there was a library in the town, all books were approved by Pullman directly so that no unwanted materials could be read by workers. That meant that works such as those of Karl Marx were banned outright. Another measure was that any entertainment shown in the company theater also required Pullman's approval. He noted that shows to which he could take his whole family were the only type of entertainment he considered acceptable. What was considered one of the most important measures, and by some the most restrictive for workers, was the complete prohibition of alcohol within the town limits. There was one exception, however, and that was the Hotel Florence, where Pullman entertained out-of-town investors and other dignitaries.

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