The area we now call Forest Park has been used for human burials for centuries, long before any Europeans arrived. Glacial deposits and the shore of an ancient inland lake formed a sand and gravel ridge (mostly unrecognizable because of development) along what is now the Des Plaines River making the land here higher and drier than the surrounding prairies. These were ideal conditions for Native American trails, villages, and subsequent burial mounds. 

When European settlers arrived in the 1850s they followed suit and established their own cemeteries along the river. It is estimated that the remains of 800,000 people are in Forest Park. That means the ratio of dead to alive is close to 58 to 1. (Not a great place to be if there is a zombie apocalypse.)

Each headstone, or grave marker is an invitation to learn about the person whose final resting place is here in Forest Park. Every story is a reflection not only of the individual, but of the times they lived in.

This ongoing feature will present the stories of some of our quietest neighbors. Walking through Jewish Waldheim, you might see a tall obelisk engraved with:

CELIA POLEN
LOVER, MOTHER,
COMRADE WIFE,
FELLOW AND TRUE
ALL THROUGH LIFE
A VICTIM OF THE GREEDY OWNERS OF THE UNSAFE FAVORITE

And on the adjoining side of the obelisk:

ROSE POLEN
DARLING ANGEL
LOVE
AND HOPE
A VICTIM OF THE GREEDY OWNERS OF THE UNSAFE FAVORITE

On July 28, 1927, 12 years after the Eastland disaster, Celia Polen, 38, and her daughter Rose, 7, decided to find relief from the hot summer day by taking an excursion boat ride that went from Lincoln Park to Municipal pier (now Navy Pier) on Lake Michigan. 

They boarded the boat named Favorite along with 79 others looking to escape the oppressive heat of the muggy day. At around 3:50 p.m., dark storm clouds appeared and winds picked up. When the boat was about a half mile from shore, a sudden violent summer storm erupted. A squall struck the boat with waves breaking over the decks. Survivors said that the musicians on board played the tune “The Four Leaf Clover” to try to calm the passengers, but the panicked crowd still rushed to one side of the boat seeking shelter from the winds and pelting rain. The boat listed sharply and capsized. 

Other ships rushed to help, most notably a yacht owned by millionaire William Hofnauer. He and his crew pulled dozens of people from the water. Johnny Weissmueller (a movie star as Tarzan and swimming champion) also joined the rescue attempts with his brother, diving over and over again to pull people up from the turbulent waters. A total of 27 people drowned, mostly women and children. 

Celia and Rose were two of the victims. Sadly, Rose lay unidentified in the morgue for hours until her distraught father, Boris Polen, confirmed at 4 a.m. it was his daughter.

 Although there were reports that the belts on the life jackets were defective and fell apart due to age, officials claimed that the owners and crew of the Favorite were not to blame for the tragedy. It appears, though, from the engravings on the obelisk, that the Polen family did not feel the same.

References used: Archival newspaper articles from the Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Defender, and the New York Times. 

Amy Binns-Calvey is a volunteer with the Historical Society of Forest Park and the author of ‘More Dead Than Alive: Stories of Forest Park’s Quietest Neighbors’