Calumet Community Conversations
The Field Museum and the Calumet Heritage Partnership are
collaborating to organize a series of community conversations about
the potential for creating a Calumet Heritage Area where residents,
organizations, and businesses will be asked what a future heritage
area could be. Across the country, heritage areas have become an
effective way to connect people to places for the benefit of
communities and landscapes. These conversations will contribute to a
feasibility study for a Calumet National Heritage Area in Northeast
Illinois and Northwest Indiana. Future topics will include the
region's environmental, cultural, and recreational resources.
Next Conversations
None scheduled at this time. See the notes from past
conversations below. Notes will be posted as they are compiled.
Notes from Past Conversations
Past Conversations
Ethnic/Cultural Heritage in the
Calumet Region
Wednesday, September 23, 2015*
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Porter County Public Library
2665 Irving St. Portage, IN 46368
or
Thursday, September 24, 2015*
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Public Safety Building 725 W. 138th St. Riverdale, IL 60827
Download a flyer (PDF)
Spanish, Polish, Serbian, Croatian, English, Swedish. These are
just some of the languages that would have been spoken in the
mills of early 20th century Calumet. No matter how your family
came to the Calumet region--such as through Ellis Island, as
part of The Great Migration, or out of the Appalachian
foothills--they brought with them the diverse cultural practices
that enrich the region. From festivals and cuisine, to art and
language, these practices continue to shape the region's
identity. Whether you are a recent resident or your roots go
back for generations, we want to hear what your cultural
heritage means to the region and how you would like to see
cultural heritage represented in a future Calumet National
Heritage Area.
Please bring a photo or object that tells a story about
the ethnic and cultural heritage of the Calumet region. We will
use these to start the conversation, so come ready to share!
Recreation and
Heritage in the Calumet Region
Wednesday, June 17, 2015*
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Location:
Vodak East Side Branch
Chicago Public Library
3710 East 106th Street Chicago, IL 60617
or
Tuesday, June 30, 2015*
5:30-7:30 pm
City Hall
Emergency Management Room
100 East Michigan Boulevard
Michigan City, IN 46360
Download a Flyer (PDF)
Boating, fishing, softball, picnics however you enjoy the
outdoors in the Calumet region this gathering is for you! The
Calumet region was long known as a sportsman's paradise for the
quality and quantity of its hunting and fishing opportunities.
Even with the legacy of 100 years of heavy industry and
residential growth, it is still home to unique and extensive
recreational options, from swimming at Calumet Park, to
windsurfing at Wolf Lake, and biking from Mt. Baldy to Cowles
Bog in the Indiana Dunes. Come share your memories, old and new,
of enjoying the outdoors in the region. We want to hear why you
choose your activities and locations, what is unique about
recreation in the region, and how you would like the region's
recreational heritage represented in a Calumet National Heritage
Area.
Please bring a photo or two of your friends and family
enjoying the outdoors in the Calumet region. We will use these
to start the conversation, so come ready to share!
*To RSVP or for more information, contact Madeleine Tudor:
mtudor@fieldmuseum.org or (312) 665-7471
Environment and Heritage in the Calumet
Region
Thursday, April 23, 2015
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Location:
Medowbrook Conservation Center and Preserve
Shirley Heinze Land Trust
109 West 700 North
Valparaiso, IN 46385
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
3:30-5:30 p.m.
Location:
Vodak East Side Branch
Chicago Public Library
3710 East 106th Street Chicago, IL 60617
Download a Flyer (PDF)
Environmental stewards, conservationists, land managers, activists,
and Calumet residents -- this gathering is for you! From the
wetlands of Lake Calumet to the dune and swale of the Indiana Dunes
National Park, the Calumet region is home to some of the most
fragile and biodiverse habitats on the planet. Do you help to care
for the greenspaces and wilderness areas that make up the region?
Are you a nature enthusiast who enjoys seeing a sand hill crane or a
lady slipper orchid? Do you advocate for reducing the impact of
pollution in your neighborhood? Then come share your reflections on
caring for and appreciating nature in the region. We're interested
in hearing about how you connect with nature, what it means to you,
and how you would like to see it represented in a future Calumet
National Heritage Area. All are welcome at both events, but you do
not need to attend both for your voice to be heard! To RSVP or for
more information, contact Madeleine Tudor: mtudor@fieldmuseum.org or
(312) 665-7471
Please bring a photo or an object that tells a story about your
experience with nature in the Calumet region. We will use these to
start the conversation, so come ready to share!
Industrial Heritage in the Calumet Region
Tuesday, March 10, 2015 5:30-7:30 pm
Porter County Public Library
2665 Irving St.
Portage, IN 46368
Monday, March 16, 2015
5:30-7:30 pm
Vodak East Side Branch
Chicago Public Library
3710 East 106th Street Chicago, IL 60617
Download a Flyer (PDF)
The Calumet region has a rich and significant industrial heritage,
serving as an economic engine for America for over a century. If you
have worked or currently work in Calumet industry or have been
influenced by it, come share your reflections on the region's
industries, from steel mills to railroads to food processing. How do
you connect with Calumet's industrial heritage? How is it relevant
today? We are interested in hearing your take on the unique nature
of the Calumet region, its contributions to industrial America, and
the ways you would like this heritage represented in a future
Calumet National Heritage Area. All are welcome at both events, but you do not need to attend
both for your voice to be heard!
To RSVP or for more information, contact Madeleine Tudor:
mtudor@fieldmuseum.org or (312) 665-7471
Make History in the Calumet Region!
Local History and Historic
Preservation Community Conversation 4
Monday, September 29, 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Vodak-East Side Library Meeting Room
3710 East 106th Street Chicago, IL 60617
Historians,
History Buffs, Genealogists, Preservationists! This gathering is for
you... Why is knowing or preserving the past important for our
communities? How can we build on local history to shape the future
of our region? Join us for the second conversation on the roles that
historic memory and historic preservation play in the emerging
vision of a bi-state Calumet Heritage Area, and discuss your
involvement in keeping history alive in your community. This
conversation will be similar to the one held on July 14, 2014, in
Miller-Gary, Indiana. All are welcome, but you do not need to attend
both for your voice to be heard! To RSVP or for more information,
contact Madeleine Tudor: mtudor@fieldmuseum.org or (312) 665-7471
Notes from Local History and Historic Preservation Community
Conversation

At the second Local History & Historic Preservation Community
Conversation, we asked participants to tell us what places are most
important to Calumet regional heritage. This map shows some of the
important sites the participants identified.
Make History in the Calumet Region
Local
History and Historic Preservation Community Conversation 3
Monday July 14th, 5:30-7:30 pm Indiana Landmarks Northwest Field
Office 541 Lake Street Gary, IN
46403
Historians, History Buffs, Genealogists, Preservationists! This
gathering is for you... Why is knowing or preserving the past
important for our communities? How can we build on local history to
shape the future of our region? Join us for a conversation on the
roles that historic memory and historic preservation could play in a
Calumet Heritage Area in Northwest Indiana and Northeastern
Illinois. Come prepared to talk about your involvement in keeping
history alive in your community, and how these efforts connect to
the emerging vision of a Calumet Heritage Area. To RSVP or for more
information, contact Madeleine Tudor:
mtudor@fieldmuseum.org
or (312) 665-7471

At this Local History & Historic Preservation Community
Conversation, we asked participants to tell us what places are most
important to Calumet regional heritage. This map shows the areas
they marked as some of the most integral to local history
Community Conversation
2: Putting Art on the Map in the Calumet!
Join us at a gathering of Calumet region artists
on
Monday, May 12, from 5:30-7:30pm at the
Vodak/East Side
Branch of the Chicago Public Library, to discuss the
potential of a Calumet Heritage Area.
Across
the country, National Heritage Area designations have helped
benefit local communities and landscapes. This is the second in
a series of community conversations with residents,
organizations, and businesses to document their contributions to
the uniqueness of the Calumet Region, and gather their feedback
on what a future heritage area could be. We
believe starting these discussions with artists is important
because they often make a point of looking at concepts from
unique perspectives.
Please RSVP by contacting Madeleine
Tudor at (312)
665-7471 or mtudor@fieldmuseum.org.
Notes from the
second Community Conversation

Map of artist's locations from the first Putting Art on the Map
conversation (click to enlarge)
Community Conversation 1: Putting art on the
Map in the Calumet
On December 12, 2013, 24 residents and friends of the Calumet region
came together at the Black Box Gallery on the campus of the Calumet
College of St. Joseph to discuss current arts practices in the region and
the role that the arts could play in a potential Calumet National
Heritage Area.
Notes from the
first Putting Art on the Map meeting
If you are interested in attending future conversations please
contact Madeleine Tudor, The Field Museum, mtudor@fieldmuseum.org
(312) 665-7471