Eastland Disaster Lecture
Name:
Eastland Disaster Lecture
Date:
April 14, 2016
Time:
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM CDT
Event Description:
Join the Lake Forest – Lake Bluff Historical Society for a lecture on the Eastland Disaster on Thursday, April 14th at 6:30 pm. The day of the Eastland outing, Saturday, July 24, 1915, a light rain was falling. Thousands of Western Electric employees lined the banks of the Chicago River in anticipation of the fifth annual employee picnic. More than 7,000 tickets were sold for the day-long activities and the SS Eastland was fully boarded beyond its capacity with over 2,500 passengers and crew aboard. Enthusiasm quickly turned to tragedy as the boat capsized, resulting in Chicago’s greatest loss of life at a single event. Hear the stories about the tragedy and of the “lucky ones” who missed the boat.
The 45 minute program features historical footage taken in 1915, dozens of photographs, and a compelling first hand narrative from Susan Decker and Barbara Decker Wacholz, descendants of a survivor, Bobbie Aanstad, and Co-Founders and Vice Presidents of the Eastland Disaster Historical Society. Ted Wacholz, the Executive Director, will also share information from interviews with several survivors.
The 45 minute program features historical footage taken in 1915, dozens of photographs, and a compelling first hand narrative from Susan Decker and Barbara Decker Wacholz, descendants of a survivor, Bobbie Aanstad, and Co-Founders and Vice Presidents of the Eastland Disaster Historical Society. Ted Wacholz, the Executive Director, will also share information from interviews with several survivors.