By Ben Joravsky
Around the country Bridgeport is known as the birthplace of Chicago’s Democratic machine and the home community of many powerful politicians, including the Daleys. But few people outside Bridgeport have heard of Bubbly Creek, which is part of the South Branch of the Chicago River, a tributary that runs from south of 26th to Pershing Road. It was once a major port for ships heading into Chicago from the Atlantic seaboard.
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The surrounding neighborhoods are working-class communities whose residents love the waterway but have learned to abide by certain rules: don’t drink from it; don’t swim in it; and don’t eat any creature, fish or fowl, that lives there. The creek is also the source of neighborhood folklore.
On most spring and fall days bands of intrepid men and women can be seen fishing the creek. But it’s not a completely soothing spot. The creek’s western bank abuts an industrial stretch near Archer and Ashland; on the other side are excavation sites, factories, and warehouses, so it’s virtually impossible to escape the sounds and smells of trucks and cars.
Last year he convinced his supervisors at Fellowship House to seek federal environmental cleanup funds. The Clinton administration responded with a $30,000 grant, enabling Fellowship House to hire ten local teenagers to clean up the river.
Miller heard about the cleanup project while working as an intern for the Community Media Workshop, a public-relations agency for not-for-profits. It’s a bit ironic that she now finds herself part of the cleanup effort, since she spent much of her adolescence dreaming about escaping from Bridgeport.
So far there’s been little opposition. Some of the land on the west side is used by truckers who sell watermelons from the rear of their semis and pickups. On any given day in spring or summer they’re there, carving watermelons in half and throwing them on the gravel parking lot for the geese that nest along the banks.
