# Chicagoans. Have You Ever Heard This One? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 11, 2016, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicagoans-have-you-ever-heard-this-one/768240 "2016-10-11T13:49:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2016, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicagoans-have-you-ever-heard-this-one/768240/1 "2016-10-11T13:49:35Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicagoans-have-you-ever-heard-this-one/768240/2 "2016-10-11T14:55:10Z")
I used to live near that totem pole and never heard this. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicagoans-have-you-ever-heard-this-one/768240/3 "2016-10-11T21:29:10Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2016, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicagoans-have-you-ever-heard-this-one/768240/4 "2016-10-11T22:42:37Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > 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. Okay, but these are Native American spirits, not Japanese ones that can only travel in straight lines. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicagoans-have-you-ever-heard-this-one/768240/5 "2016-10-12T00:31:03Z")
Ah, but what does Michigan Coast Native American lore say about totem poles? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicagoans-have-you-ever-heard-this-one/768240/6 "2016-10-12T05:36:03Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicagoans-have-you-ever-heard-this-one/768240/7 "2016-10-12T15:18:23Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicagoans-have-you-ever-heard-this-one/768240/8 "2016-10-12T18:53:55Z")
Did I say urinal. I meant trough. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicagoans-have-you-ever-heard-this-one/768240/9 "2016-10-17T04:08:08Z")
Never heard it.