The Björlings and the Swedes in Chicago

The Swedish-American poet, historian, biographer, journalist and folklorist, Carl Sandburg (1878-1967), called it the Hog Butcher for the World, Tool maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler; Stormy, husky, brawling, City of the Big Shoulders… While the stockyards closed in 1971, Chicago remains a big, brawling, working class city, with a generous overlay of culture and noteworthy architecture financed by its leading citizens. Symphony Hall, home to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the nearby Auditorium Theater, the Lyric Opera, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Goodman Theater, the Field Museum of Natural History, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Oriental Institute, are among its world class institutions that draw visitors from around the world.