Watch The Oldest Footage of Chicago on Film

What did Chicago look like at the turn of the last century? Yestervid, a video series showcasing film compilations, answered that question by dredging up some of the oldest footage of the Windy City known to exist. The scenes showcase the Lakeshore, city streets, stockyards, baseball games, and more circa the early 1900s. Spoiler: There were a lot more cows. 

A handy split-screen with a map pinpoints the approximate location and date of the footage, a useful tool for anyone who wants to compare their own visuals of Chicago to the urban views from yesteryear. While most of the footage comes from around 1915, there's also an audio recording from way back in 1893.

To add to the list of discoveries, the producers believe they have identified the location of the oldest surviving film of the city, a few shots of a police parade from 1896. The building in that film has been demolished, but Yestervid pinpoints the location as the corner of Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street downtown.

[h/t: Digg]

Banner image screenshot via YouTube