A City of Cows

In 1999 Chicago witnessed an invasion of fiberglass cows as artists' canvasses. 

The Union Stock Yards were once a vital part of Chicago's economy - and also a vital part of the city's bad reputation, as the working and living conditions of its numerous employees were immortalized in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. 

The Board of Trade of Chicago was where commodities were traded. Bushels of grain - but also heads of cattle - were among the most important items that drove the business here. 

Cows were not always beneficial to the city - the runoff from the stockyards heavily polluted the Chicago river, and - according to legend - a cow was responsible for the city burning down in 1871. 

The Chicago River was one of the veins of industry connecting Chicago to markets across the world. While most of Chicago's cattle arrived by train, a sizable number of meat products was shipped out of the city via the Great Lakes.