Why aren’t there any federal Indian reservations in Illinois?
This timeline explains how Native Americans were forced out of Illinois and why — for now — they have no federally recognized land here.

WBEZ’s Curious City series is an ongoing news experiment at WBEZ, online and on the radio dial around Chicago at 91.5 FM. Our mission is to include the public in editorial decision-making, make journalism more transparent and strengthen multimedia coverage about Chicago, the surrounding region and its people (past or present).
Curious City airs on Thursdays during All Things Considered on WBEZ
This timeline explains how Native Americans were forced out of Illinois and why — for now — they have no federally recognized land here.
Chicago’s Jamaican population may be small, but local love for the cuisine is huge.
Alice Hamilton’s investigations into toxins in Chicago’s factories led to some of the first workplace safety laws in the country.
We met two families that have played a role in Chicago’s abolitionist movement, film scene and religious institutions across more than a century.
She’s best known for her anti-lynching work in the South, but Wells spent nearly four decades advancing Black community power in Chicago.
Do you want to get your vehicle windows tinted? Here’s how it works, what the laws are and how they’re enforced in Chicago.
WBEZ’s Patrick Smith explains how police accountability works in Chicago and how much power the mayor has in that process.
Some residents say the wall serves as a “historic monument” to those who lived in the community. It’s in danger of being demolished.
You’re not imagining it — the goose population in Chicago has been growing. Here’s what’s being done about it.
The theater in South Shore has almost a century of cultural significance. Since 2003, it’s sat mostly empty. What will happen to it?