Vintage Original 35mm Kodachrome Slide: Chicago River Rail Yards & Union Station Power House
Location: South Branch of the Chicago River and railroad district, viewed from the Chicago Board of Trade observation deck, Chicago, Illinois.
Date: No date imprint; Kodachrome red-border mount with two lines of type was in use 1950-1955.

Item Description
This elevated panorama looks southwest across Chicago’s dense industrial and transportation district, with the South Branch of the Chicago River winding through the center of the image. The Chicago Union Station Power House, distinguished by its tall rectangular structure and twin smokestacks, rises beside the river amid extensive railroad yards, warehouses, bridges, and service buildings. Numerous tracks converge through the scene, while parking lots filled with period automobiles and smoke rising in the middle distance add further detail. The high vantage point and broad composition convey the enormous scale of Chicago’s mid-century rail and industrial infrastructure.

Key Photographic Elements
The image appears to have been taken from the former observation deck of the Chicago Board of Trade Building, which offered one of the city’s best-known public aerial viewpoints during this period. The Union Station Power House supplied steam and electricity to Chicago Union Station and its associated railroad facilities, making it an important component of the city’s passenger-rail network. The South Branch of the Chicago River, movable bridges, freight and passenger tracks, industrial buildings, smoke, and early-1950s automobiles together create a detailed record of Chicago when rail transportation and heavy industry remained central to the city’s identity.

Condition Report
The slide retains good architectural and industrial detail throughout the river, bridges, rail yards, power house, and foreground buildings. Atmospheric haze softens the distant horizon, and the image has a mild cool-blue cast consistent with the lighting and elevated viewpoint. Scattered small dust specks and minor surface marks are visible, but there is no severe fading, heavy scratching, or significant blur. The original cardboard mount shows normal age-related wear and a printed sequence number but remains intact and presentable.

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