| Bubbly Creek South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River | |
|---|---|
 Headwaters of Bubbly Creek and the Racine Avenue Pump Station | |
 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Near W. Pershing Road, Chicago |
| • coordinates | 41°49′24″N 87°38′47″W / 41.8233333°N 87.6463889°W |
| • elevation | 603 ft (184 m) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Confluence with the South Branch Chicago River in Chicago |
• coordinates | 41°49′33″N 87°39′27″W / 41.8258333°N 87.6575°W |
• elevation | 581 ft (177 m) |
| Length | 2 mi (3.2 km) |
| Basin features | |
| GNIS ID | 1826468 |
Bubbly Creek is the nickname given to the South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River. It runs entirely within the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It marks the boundary between the Bridgeport and McKinley Park community areas of the city. The creek derives its name from the gases bubbling out of the riverbed from the decomposition of blood and entrails dumped into the river in the early 20th century by the local meatpacking businesses surrounding the Union Stock Yards directly south of the creek's endpoint at Pershing Road. It was brought to notoriety by Upton Sinclair in his exposé on the American meat packing industry titled The Jungle.[1]
Bubbly Creek originates near 38th Street, at the Racine Avenue Pump Station of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. It flows in a generally northward direction for approximately 6,600 feet (2,000 m), and joins with the South Branch of the Chicago River.[2]
- ^ Upton Sinclair (1906). The Jungle. pp. Chapter 9.
- ^ "Then & Now: Bubbly Creek – Chicago". The Herald-News. Joliet, Illinois. December 20, 2015. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.