Mary Hefferen (1875-1915). So many stories from the Eastland Disaster hide in plain sight, which is great news! We can uncover these personal histories and give a voice to those affected by this tragedy through diligent research in historical newspapers and archives. Even better, many of these resources are online and FREE. This important work ensures their stories are not forgotten.

Harry Birch (1895-1968) had a remarkable media career, capturing significant events such as the Eastland Disaster. His work is preserved in the Harry and William Birch Collection at the University of South Carolina.

Use Case: Updating Mary Helen Egan’s Profile on Find a Grave.

Doris Theresa Crowley Robinson was an infant survivor of the Eastland Disaster. She died in 2000 at age 85

In memory of Louise “Lizzie” Radoll, a Western Electric employee who was elected Queen of the Carnival for the Western Electric Company picnic on July 24, 1915.

The August 1915 issue of the Western Electric News lists the names of the employees and their relatives who died on The Eastland.

Carrie Erlandson, aged 23, died on the Eastland. This is her memorial.

Josefa Stejskalova, aged 16, died on the Eastland. This is her memorial.

Note: this is a follow up to an earlier post, Eastland Chronicles - Mary Brandt Braitsch and Ep. 38, “Legacy of the Lost: Uncovering the Eastland's Hidden Stories.”

Research on baseball player, Jan Freilach, and his family. Jan, his wife, Yadwiga, and Yadwiga’s sister, Josepha ZImma/Zimna died on the Eastland. Jan and Yadwiga’s baby daughter, Eleanor, survived.

In just eight months as the host of the "Flower in the River" podcast, I've traversed a journey that reshaped my show's narrative and my understanding of storytelling.

My podcast episodes are unique journeys that started with the stories from my book and my family's connection to the Eastland disaster--but they now include stories from other communities and individuals who were affected by the Eastland Disaster. I take a quirky and non-traditional approach, leaning more towards improv rather than conventional storytelling.

Robert Magnuson's life story also intertwines with the Eastland Disaster. Hailing from Sweden, Robert moved to Chicago, finding work as a woodworker with Western Electric. His life took a dramatic turn when he survived the catastrophic capsizing of the Eastland, a disaster that claimed the lives of his wife Sigrid and their son, also named Robert.

Richard Henry Little He interviewed Otto Brandt whose sister Mary Braitsch lost her husband and five children in the Eastland Disaster. Little was a famed Chicago reporter. He went to school at the Illinois Wesleyan College of Law, however, while he was still completing this degree, he began a job in journalism, writing for The Daily Leader. After he graduated, he practiced law for only a year before returning to journalism in 1895 and beginning a job as a reporter at The Chicago Tribune.

John T. McCutcheon, a renowned political cartoonist, created two deeply moving illustrations that captured the essence of the Eastland Disaster.

Mary Brandt Braitsch survived while her husband and five children died on the Eastland. Her story was covered in Ep. 38 of Flower in the River Podcast. Her brother, Otto Brandt, was interviewed by acclaimed Chicago newspaper journalist, Richard Henry Little.

In this video tribute, we go back in time to honor the courageous actions of Katherine MacIntyre, a survivor of the tragic 1915 Eastland disaster in Chicago. Born in Canada in 1889, Katherine embodied strength and bravery when disaster struck on that fateful day.

James Gardner was aboard the  Eastland and survived. His letter was published in the Galena Daily Gazette on 27 July 1915. This is the text in its entirety.

“But listen to the story Miss Emma Grossman, 2408, W. 12th St. told Chas. W. Bedford, 2221 S. Springfield Ave. whom she was soon to wed. Miss Grosman perished. "Three weeks ago last Thursday," said Bedford. "The foreman in Miss Grossman's department called all the girls together. You will have to buy tickets for the excursion,' he told them *We want every girt there.” He told them If they did not go, they would be discharged.”

My late aunt, Pearl Donovan Cerny (1916-2002), expertly chronicled our family's rich and diverse history. Pearl's dedication to preserving our family's stories led her to document her memories of growing up in an immigrant family in Chicago. Through hardship and joy, she captured the essence of our lineage in a collection of 38 pages filled with names, places, and sagas.

Charles Reginald Elias Bowles. He rests now in Lone Fir Pioneer Cemetery Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, but decades earlier, he was living in Chicago - in the wrong place at the right time.