Henry W. Alm papers, 1821-1945 (bulk 1921-1940)

 

Descriptive Inventory for the Collection at Chicago History Museum, Research Center

By Robert Grassel; ed. by Peter T. Alter and Rachel Juris, 2010.

 

 

Please address questions to:

Chicago History Museum, Research Center

1601 North Clark Street

Chicago, IL 60614-6038

Web-site: http://www.chicagohistory.org/research

 

 

© Copyright 2010, Chicago Historical Society

Processed with funding provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

 

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Title: Henry W. Alm papers [manuscript], 1821-1945 (bulk 1921-1940)

Main entry: Alm, Henry W.

Inclusive dates: 1821-1945 (bulk 1921-1940)

Size:

2 linear feet (5 boxes)

2 oversize folders.

 

Restriction: Research use of this collection is governed by the standard rules and regulations of the Chicago History Museum Research Center.

Accession number: M1982.0002

Provenance statement: Purchased from Hector Cruz (M1982.0002).

Terms governing use: Copyright may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendents, as stipulated by United States copyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Please cite this collection as: Henry W. Alm papers (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

 

This descriptive inventory contains the following sections:

Biographical note,

Summary description of the collection,

Description of some material related to the collection,

List of online catalog headings about the collection,

Arrangement of the collection,

Detailed description of archival series in the collection,

List of contents of the collection.

 

Biographical note:

Henry W. Alm was a Chicago lawyer who had his own practice, H. W. Alm and Associates. Alm was also the administrator of the Herman Krueding Trust, which consisted of Krueding's heirs and other parties. Krueding, and later his Trust, claimed interest in disputed property referred to as the Chicago Lake Front Property, also known as the Lake Michigan District, located in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, and sometimes called Streeterville. George Wellington Streeter, after whom Streeterville was named, took up early claims to lakefront lands in the area.

 

Summary description of the collection:

Real estate agreements, legal documents, correspondence, maps, newspaper clippings, and other papers of Henry W. Alm, a Chicago lawyer. The collection primarily relates to Alm's work as the administrator of the Herman Krueding Trust and Krueding’s dispute over real estate referred to as the Chicago Lake Front Property or the Lake Michigan District in the Near North Side community area of Chicago (Ill.), also known as Streeterville. George Wellington Streeter, after whom Streeterville was named, made early claims to lakefront lands in the area. Also present in the collection are materials related to Alm’s other business interests, including his work with Happi-way Home, Publishers Music Company, A & L Auto Supply, and Union Bank of Chicago.

 

Description of some material related to the collection:

Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include the District of Lake Michigan records.

 

List of online catalog headings about the collection:

The following index headings for this collection were entered in the online catalog.

Subjects:

Alm, Henry W.--Archives.

Krueding, Herman.

Streeter, George Wellington, 1837-1921.

Chicago Dock and Canal Company.

District of Lake Michigan (Ill.)

Lakeshore development--Illinois--Chicago.

Lawyers--Illinois--Chicago--19th century.

Lawyers--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Real estate development--Illinois--Chicago.

Real property--Illinois--Chicago.

Riparian rights--Illinois--Chicago.

Shorelines--Illinois--Chicago.

Chicago (Ill.)--Commerce.

Near North Side (Chicago, Ill.)

Streeterville (Chicago, Ill.)

 

Form/genre:

Abstracts of title.

Clippings.

Correspondence.

Deeds.

Legal documents.

Plat maps.

Maps.

 

Added entries:

Krueding, Herman.

Streeter, George Wellington, 1837-1921.

Chicago Dock and Canal Company.

District of Lake Michigan (Ill.)

 

Arrangement of the collection:

The collection is arranged in five series:

Series 1. General files, 1908-1942 (box 1)

Series 2. Real estate documents, 1821-1938 (box 1, 2 oversize folders)

Series 3. Legal documents, 1830-1943 (box 2)

Series 4. Clients and associated parties files, 1837-1943 (box 3-5)

Series 5. Correspondence, 1894-1945 (box 5)

 

Detailed description of archival series in the collection:

Series 1. General files, 1908-1942 (box 1)

Series 1 consists of financial materials and personal papers of Henry W. Alm. Included are newspaper clippings related to the Krueding land dispute. Also present is a 1910 patent application for a motion picture machine.

 

Series 2. Real estate documents, 1821-1938 (box 1, 2 oversize folders)

Series 2 contains real estate documents related to Alm's work on the Krueding land dispute. Real estate documents include abstracts, deeds, patent copies, and trust agreements. Also included are plat surveys, survey field notes, and quit claims. Among the land patents are findings for George W. Streeter and Peter T. Johnson. Oversize materials are stored separately and include plans of Peter T. Johnson's bathhouse and the Chicago Dock and Canal Company subdivision; plat maps of the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Chamber of Commerce Building, and City Hall Square Building, a plan for Markham, Illinois; Alm's grammar school certificate; and ledger pages from A & L Auto Supply.

 

Series 3. Legal documents, 1830-1943 (box 2)

Series 3 consists of legal documents and correspondence related to the Krueding land dispute. Legal documents include agreements, titles, deeds, case histories, briefs, writs, complaints, pre-emptive certificates, affidavits, and powers of attorney documents. Among the writs is an 1892 injunction brought by Peter T. Johnson against the Chicago Dock and Canal Company. Also present is a case history detailing the Lake Michigan Shore Lands. Correspondence includes letters between various parties including Alm, and William E. Lamb, an attorney who provided legal representation for Krueding. Also includes the will of Herman Krueding.

 

Series 4. Clients and associated parties files, 1837-1943 (box 3-5)

Series 4 contains correspondence, legal documents, ledgers, receipts, and printed matter related to Alm's role as administrator of the Herman Krueding Trust, to his clients and associated parties, and to his other business interests. Also includes a letter from Julie Kinzie, widow of Frank K. Kinzie, offering her assistance to Krueding. Frank K. Kinzie was an heir to Robert A. Kinzie, a prominent Chicago land owner whose holdings involved the Chicago Lake Front Property.

 

Series 5. Correspondence, 1894-1945 (box 5)

Series 5 contains correspondence by Alm, Krueding, and other parties on the topic of the Krueding land dispute. Some letters reference land claims by the Potawatomi Indians.

 

List of contents of the collection:

Box 1                                                   General files, 1908-1942

Box 1 & oversize folders                      Real estate documents, 1821-1938

Box 2                                                   Legal documents, 1830-1943

Box 3-5                                               Clients and associated parties files, 1837-1943

Box 5                                                   Correspondence, 1894-1945