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In this special retrospective, I’m circling back to some of the most powerful stories I’ve uncovered in my Eastland research—stories that have been entirely absent from the popular historical accounts of the disaster.

Meet James Gardner, a survivor who not only escaped the capsized vessel but went on to rescue nine women and two men from the Chicago River. His vivid first-person account, published just days after the disaster, offers rare and crucial insight—from the moment the Eastland began to list, to the horrifying sounds of panic as passengers realized what was happening. Despite being easily accessible in digital archives, Gardner’s name is missing from nearly every modern retelling of the tragedy.

Even more haunting is the story of Hancock John Harmon, celebrated in his 1917 obituary as a “hero of the Eastland disaster.” Harmon spent an entire day in the contaminated Chicago River recovering bodies—an act of selflessness that would ultimately cost him his health, and eventually, his life. As one Eastland family member would later say about similar cases:

“He didn’t die on the Eastland. Instead, he died of the Eastland.”

We also revisit the literary response to the tragedy through Agnes Lee’s poem “Eastland Waters,” published in 1916. The daughter of Rand McNally co-founder William H. Rand, Lee was a respected poet whose work appeared alongside the likes of Robert Frost. And yet, her haunting tribute to the disaster has been largely forgotten—even in her own city.

These rediscovered voices raise urgent questions:

Who decides what gets remembered? What stories are left out—and why? And as we approach the 110th anniversary in 2025, what other voices still wait in the shadows, asking to be heard?

Subscribe to be part of the ongoing work to bring these lost narratives back into the light—and to help reclaim a more honest, complete, and human record of the Eastland Disaster.

Resources

• Agnes Lee, “Eastland Waters,” Poetry: A Magazine of Verse, Feb 1916.
• Galena Daily Gazette, 27 July 1915 (James Gardner)
• “Hero of Eastland Tragedy Dies, Result of Shock.” The Grand Rapids Press, October 3, 1917.

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