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How did a remote outpost in a muddy marshland grow to be one of the largest cities in the United States? Transportation created Chicago: destined by geography to be the nation's transportation hub between east and west, metropolitan Chicago could not have grown to its present size without a well-developed internal transit system.

Telling the story of every major transit innovation in Chicago's history, Young reveals a vital panorama of the city's growth. Beginning with the evolution of the horse-drawn omnibus -- Chicago's first mass transit system -- Young explores the competition for passengers and space by the growing proliferation of streetcar lines, railroads, and automobiles. These modes of transportation, often existing for a time side by side, prospered or faltered according to various technological advances.

Young also looks at what is uniquely Chicago: the Loop, the construction of the L, and the ever-present problem of congestion in the Windy City. He highlights the development of the Chicago Transit Authority and the Regional Transportation Authority and the growth of the Illinois Central and the Chicago North Western railroads.

With more than 80 photographs and maps, Young illustrates the competitive spirit of Chicago, where some modes of transportation flourish at the expense of others. Chicago Transit will appeal to those readers interested in the history of Chicago, transportation, railroads, urban development and planning, and transportation technology.

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