Subject and Course Guides: Business and Economic History: UIC Special Collections and University Archives

UIC Special Collections and University Archives--Business Collections

Aldis Family Papers
Arthur Taylor Aldis and his son, Graham Aldis, were Chicago realtors in what became the firm of Aldis and Company.
Chicago Board of Trade records, Part 1
The Chicago Board of Trade (also CBOT, CBT) was founded on April 3, 1848 in a flour store attic, and continues today as the world’s oldest commodities exchange. The collection contains materials documenting the history of the exchange; its rules, by-laws, and regulations; and statistical information. The materials include correspondence, reports, ledgers, rulebooks, visual materials, press clips, publications, statistics, and other documents.
Chicago Board of Trade records, Part 2
Chicago Commuter Rail Collection
This collection includes stereoscopes of a Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad station, a photograph published on a calendar sheet, acceptance and bond agreements for the Chicago City Railway Company with the City of Chicago, and bus schedules for the Chicago and West Town Railways, Inc.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange
The records of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange document its beginnings as the Chicago Butter & Egg Board in 1898 until its merger with the Chicago Board of Trade to become CME Group in 2007. The bulk of the material ranges from roughly 1960-1999 and covers its history, activities, programs, etc.
Chicago Stockyards Collection
The Chicago Stockyards, also known as the Union Stockyards, played an integral role in the development of Chicago as the hub of the meat industry. This collection highlights selective aspects of the management and promotional activities of the stockyards.
Container Corporation of America Collection
The Container Corporation of America was founded in 1926 when Walter P. Paepcke united 14 small manufacturers of paper boxes and containers. Headquartered in Chicago, the Container Corporation's sales grew from $20 million in 1936 to over $400 million by 1965, when it employed over 20,000 people world wide. As early as the 1930s, the Container Corporation was well known as a leader of corporate graphic design for its packaging, publications, logos and advertising.
Horace Russell Collection
Attorney Horace Russell (1889-1973) was widely recognized as the legal architect of the modern savings and loan institution.
Joseph Budlong Records
Budlong was a florist in Chicago in the early 1900s.
Joseph P. Kenny & Associates Records
Joseph P. Kenny & Associates was a real estate firm that operated in Chicago's near west side. This collection is unprocessed, so please ask an archivist for details.
Mark Levy & Bros. Records
his collection is processed, but no online finding aid is available yet. Please ask an archivist for details.
MidAmerica Commodity Exchange
The MidAmerica Commodity Exchange (MACE, MidAm) was founded as “Pudd’s Exchange” in a field on the corner of LaSalle and Washington streets in 1868. The exchange offered smaller versions of contracts offered by the Chicago Board of Trade, thus allowing individuals with smaller assets to trade and gain experience before trading larger amounts. The MidAmerica Commodity Exchange became affiliated with the Chicago Board of Trade in 1986, and ultimately dissolved in 2003. The collection includes pamphlets, reports, rulebooks, annual reports, correspondence, press releases, newsletters, and multimedia. Records from the Chicago Open Board of Trade & the Chicago Rice and Cotton Exchange/New Orleans Cotton Exchange are also present.
Philip Ream Clarke Papers
Clarke was a Chicago investment banker, corporate director, and civic leader.
ShoreBank Corporation Records
ShoreBank Corporation (1972-2010) was the first bank holding company to combine commercial banking, real estate development, nonprofit loan funds, and international advisory services aimed at community development. Originally developed as a neighborhood development bank for low-income African American communities, ShoreBank eventually expanded nationally and internationally.

UIC Special Collections and University Archives--Business-Related Collections

Bimetallism and Currency Reform Collection
This collection contains materials that relate to the late 19th-century advocacy for inflationary currency reform.
Chicago Central Area Committee Collection
The Chicago Central Area Committee, active in the late 1950s through the mid 1960s, sought to plan and guide the future growth and development of Chicago's central area.
Chicago Chamber of Commerce Records
The Chicago Chamber of Commerce, now known as the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, was chartered in 1887, but not officially formed until 1904. Emerging from the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chamber became a voluntary association of area businesses that promoted the economic development of Chicago and the interests of its membership at the local, state, and federal levels.
Citizens Association of Chicago Records
The Citizens' Association of Chicago was founded in 1874 in order to ensure what its members believed to be honest and cost-effective governance in the city. The collection consists of annual reports, by-laws, committee reports, speeches and bulletins pertaining to fire protection, municipal elections, and the administration of public funds by the Treasurer of Cook County, Illinois.
Civic Federation of Chicago Collection
The Civic Federation of Chicago was created in 1894 to serve as a government watchdog group.
Executive Women Records
Executive Women was an organization that promoted career development for women in personnel and office management.
Executives' Secretaries Records
Executives' Secretaries was an international organization that sought to create a forum where professional women could exchange information and ideas. This collection contains materials from the organization's Chicago chapter.
Home Economists in Business - Chicago Chapter Records
This organization was dedicated to integrating the field of home economics into the larger business world. This collection contains material mostly from the organization's Chicago chapter.
John F. Sherman Collection
John F. Sherman was a labor consultant to businesses during the 1930s.
Sunset Club Records
The Sunset Club was organized in March 1889 with the stated purpose of providing "good fellowship and tolerant discussion among business and professional men of all classes."
Zonta Club of Chicago Loop records
The Zonta Club of Chicago Loop is a chapter of Zonta International, a business and professional women's service club modeled after Rotary and Kiwanis clubs.

UIC Special Collections and University Archives--Design Collections

We have more than 30 collections that deal with designers and design firms. Businesses and other organizations hired designers to help brand and market their goods and services. What follows is a list of some of our most popular design collections. For more information, see the Design Archives LibGuide.

Rare Books Related to Business and Economic History

Here is a list of some of our rare book collections that are held in UIC Special Collections and University Archives. These books can serve as primary source documents that touch on some aspect of Chicago's business or economic history.

This list represents only a small sample of the thousands of rare books in our holdings. For more, please feel free to consult the UIC Library's online catalog here. Or you can browse some of the major collections of rare books we have.

[Chicago Conference on Trusts, 1899] Speeches, Debates, Resolutions, Lists of the Delgates, Committees, etc. by Civic Federation of Chicago
Call Number: HD2783 .A3 1900
Publication Date: 1900
Ganton & Co.: a Story of Chicago Commercial and Social Life by Eddy, Arthur Jerome
Call Number: PZ3.E208 G
Publication Date: 1908
A fictional account of a Chicago business.
Marshall Field and Company; the Life Story of a Great Concern by Ditchett, Samuel Herbert
Call Number: HF5465.U6 F5 1922
Publication Date: 1922
Opinions Rendered to the Illinois Manufacturers' Association from January 1, 1899, to January 1, 1907 by Levy Mayer
Call Number: KFI1352 .M39 1913
Publication Date: 1913
Olcott's Land Values Blue Book of Chicago by Geo. C. Olcott
Call Number: HD268.C4 O5
Publication Date: 1937-1994 (with many gaps)
Public utilities in modern life; selected speeches (1914-1923) by Insull, Samuel.
Call Number: HD2766 .I55
Publication Date: 1924
Keily, William Eugene, editor.
Report of the Directors of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company by Chicago, burlington,& Quincy Railroad Co.
Call Number: HE2791 .C6422
Publication Date: 1855-1966 (with numerous gaps)
Exact title may vary with any given volume.

Welcome to UIC Special Collections and University Archives

UIC's Special Collections and University Archives Department is a repository for hundreds of archival collections and rare books. Our collections include manuscripts from individual and organizational donors, the records of the university, and rare books that were donated to us or that we acquired.

F or a list of our manuscript records, please click here .

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Business and Economic History: UIC Special Collections and University Archives

UIC Special Collections and University Archives--Business Collections

UIC Special Collections and University Archives--Business-Related Collections

UIC Special Collections and University Archives--Design Collections

Rare Books Related to Business and Economic History

Welcome to UIC Special Collections and University Archives

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