Saint Valentine's Day Massacre
Posted by: 
Shorelander
N 41° 55.253 W 087° 38.262
16T E 447121 N 4641188
Perhaps one of the best-known events in Chicago history.
Waymark Code: WM6PWC
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 07/05/2009
Views: 26
Chicago in 1929 was a violent place. Various gangs vied for a piece of the bootlegging pie, selling alcohol, made illegal by Prohibition. No gangster is better known than Al Capone, leader of the South Side Italian gang, and no act of violence from that period is better known than the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
One of Capone's main competitors was Bugs Moran and his North Side Irish gang. Capone hatched a plan to kill Moran and his main men—by luring them to a garage (SMC Cartage, at 2120 North Clark Street) and ambushing them. No one knows for sure how they were lured to the location—many speculate it was the promise of a shipment—but once they entered the garage, they would not leave. While the intent was to kill Moran himself, he did not get to the garage, either due to tardiness, suspicion, or some other reason.
Regardless, once Moran's men were inside, four of Capone's men (including two dressed as Chicago police officers) did the dirty work. The fake cops went in first, lining Moran's men against a wall. Then the other two came and fired seventy rounds at the seven men, killing six and mortally wounding a seventh. The cops then "escorted" the shooters out, helping assuage fears of passers-by and letting the quartet escape.
The massacre shocked Chicagoans, irreparably damaged Moran's gang, and eventually led the police to focus on Capone's gang, hurting it as well. The four shooters were never concretely identified, although the two guns were later that year found in the possession of Fred "Killer" Burke. The truth of the matter may never be known.
As for the site of the massacre, the garage has since been demolished, having been replaced with a yard and parking area for a nursing home on a neighboring parcel. No plaque or marker exists at the scene, and trees are currently growing where the building once stood. Regardless, this site is part of Chicago's history—and some say they feel fear or hear strange sounds when passing the site.
Date of crime: 04/14/1929
Public access allowed: no
Web site: [Web Link]
Fee required: Not Listed
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