The maze of
livestock pens and walkways of the Union Stock Yards of
Chicago,
Illinois, circa 1947. From the
American Civil War until the 1920s, more meat was processed in Chicago than in any other place in the world. The
stockyard opened in 1865 and closed in 1971 after several decades of decline during the decentralization of the
meat packing industry.Photo credit:
John Vachon,
FSA