The Day A "Tidal Wave" Hit Montrose Beach

Well, it was technically a seiche.  But on a summer morning in 1954, fishermen and bathers lost their lives when the Lake Michigan water suddenly rose eight feet and swept them away.  A teenage eyewitness wrote:

"Giant tidal wave hits local town lake." April Fool's joke? Probably. "Giant Tidal Wave Hits Chicago." Joke, right? No. This was the headline of the afternoon edition of the Chicago Daily News on June 26, 1954. ... As I pulled into the parking area, I noticed it was full of water despite it being a bright sunny day. The Lake was unusually choppy. I also noticed people running toward the pier. There was a sense of something very serious and very bad going on and immediately and instinctively I headed for the bait shop to connect with my father. He saw me coming and said "let's go to the pier, they need help down there," and we took off at full speed along with many others.

Read the entire article here for some Uptown history we hope never repeats.