Chicagoans. Have You Ever Heard This One?

The Game Room
1

I heard this on a Ghost Tour I took in Chicago many years ago.

There’s a totem pole in Lincoln Park along Lake Shore Drive. The tour guide said that according to Pacific Coast Native American lore, totem poles should always face the sunrise. The totem pole on Lake Shore Drive is facing the sunset, so the totem pole is attracting evil spirits and bad luck.

And the totem pole is staring straight down Addison Street toward Wrigley Field.

Granted the pole has not been there since 1908, but dammit, why aren’t we turning that sucker the right way?

Has anyone else heard this story?

2

I used to live near that totem pole and never heard this.

3

It’s true that the pole faces Addison, but Addison runs southwest for a couple of blocks before turning due west, so the pole isn’t pointed toward Wrigley.

4

Okay, but these are Native American spirits, not Japanese ones that can only travel in straight lines.

5

Ah, but what does Michigan Coast Native American lore say about totem poles?

6

No, never heard this story. If you took a survey of all urinals in Chicago, you would probably find that the majority of them face toward Wrigley too.

7

Surely, it’d be more relevant if the urinals faced away, wouldn’t it? Because in typical use, the urinal and its user face in opposite directions.

8

Did I say urinal. I meant trough. :smiley:

9

Never heard it.