Chicago Queer History Walking Tours: Dive Keepers on North Clark Get Warnings

In 1948 the Chicago Tribune reported that Capt. John J. Walsh was cracking down on gay bars in the River North neighborhood. Walsh insisted that the bar owners remove any coverings on the windows of the bars so the cops could observe what was going on inside. This insistence of observation recalls what Michel Foucault called “panopticonism,” a way that the state exerts control by ensuring that everyone knows they can be observed at any time. This walking tour covers the sites Walsh visited with his warnings and tells the stories of what happened before, and after the crackdown.

Time: Saturday August 29, 1 pm
Start: Chicago Water Tower (801 N Michigan Ave)
End: 2nd Story Bar (157 E Ohio St #2)
Distance: apx 2 miles

The University of Illinois Chicago Gender and Sexuality Center presents a series of Chicago Queer History Walking Tours for Summer 2026. Tours are conducted by Daniel Williams, a political science professor who’s been bringing the details of Chicago’s queer past to life on social media. Follow him on Instagram @Daniel.Edward.Williams
All walking tours are free, with tips gratefully accepted, but not expected.