Che-Che-Pin-Qua and the Fountain of Youth

Che-Che-Pin-Qua and the Fountain of Youth

The stretch of Irving Park Road from Cumberland to East River stabs through the Indian Boundary Division of the Cook County Forest Preserve at a posted speed of 45 mph. With the Schiller Woods South to the north and the Che-che-pin-qua Woods to the south, you'd think there'd be nothing worth of chow note. Not so - perhaps?

For years I'd noticed groups of people with five gallon water bottles lined up at a water pump at a wayside on this route. Curiosity drew me, but so did whatever errand I was on, and it was not until today that, with purpose, I stood in line with my water bottle.

Five solitary women with various large water vessels stood in front of me. I tried to start up a conversation, asking why this water was so good, and got only blank stares. It seemed language was a barrier. Seeking to break the ice, I volunteered to pump for all. Here is what I heard:

The water is extra pure and comes from Wisconsin
The water is clean and comes from Canada
The water tastes good
The water is the best
The water is used for both cooking and drinking
Families come here for their water several times a week
Both American and Polish peoples come here
The water makes one feel young

Before I passed out from pump exertion, someone filled my puny gallon container. I splashed some water into my dry mouth and made my merry way.

So at this moment a gallon of this possible elixir, chills in my ice box. I will soon attempt to describe the taste of this water in a blind taste test with filtered tap water. I am now waiting for the samples to reach the same fridge temperature. I hope to report back to shortly, feeling more spry. BTW, who the hell is Che-che-pin-qua?

-Ramon

Ramon wrote: BTW, who the hell is Che-che-pin-qua?

Good question. Here's a short write up:
http://chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/ ... inson.html

He was also known as Alexander Robinson.
From the above site:

Robinson Woods runs along both sides of the river, from Lawrence Avenue to I-90, southeast of Chicago's O'Hare airport. About half of the preserve's 500 acres were part of the estate of Alexander Robinson, a chief of the combined Potawatomi, Ottawa, and Chippewa tribes who himself was probably only one-quarter Indian. The United States government awarded Robinson the land as a reward for aiding survivors of the Fort Dearborn Massacre.

And about his Indian name:

South of Irving Park, a picnic area bears Robinson's Indian name: Che-Che-Pin-Qua, or "blinking eye," for a pronounced facial tic.

Hope the water from his old lands is good!

Che Che Pin Qua is the name given to an British/Ottowa man named Alexander Robinson. He lived in the area that is now Harwood Heights at the time of the War of 1812. He was bet remembered for shepherding the remains of a group of settlers who were slaughtered by the Potwatomi to safety at Fort Mackinac.

My connection to the woods is from my youth when our church group used to take all of the kids there to unwind and do scouting type stuff. Thats where I learned about Robinson. On a hot August day after running around the woods for a couple hours I can tell you that pumped water tasted like Heaven:) I think it's just well water.

You can also pump water at the Harrer Park Forest Preserve on Dempster E of Lehigh in Morton Grove.


On preview what Amata said.

First, to deal with the water question: it's not uncommon to see people pumping water into containers in the forest preserves, and not just this particular pump. I've always assumed that these are simply hand-pumped wells; after all, we're living in a very wet area. As a girl, I attended a Girl Scout day camp somewhere up by the Skokie Lagoons where our only water was pumped from a well that had a horrible sulphur smell/taste. Clearly, people aren't dropping dead from drinking this water, but I've always wondered what kind of insalubrious industrial gunk was finding its' way into the ground water. [A quick google yielded nothing on water quality in Cook County Forest Preserve water.]

And, on to Che Che Pin Qua, or as his father named him, Alexander Robinson. There's more to his story [as found in "Island Within A City" by Tom McGowen, a book about Norridge and Harwood Heights {!!}] than I'm going to summarize here, but I'm willing to xerox more if anyone would like. He was the son of a mother from the Ottawa tribe and a British father, and was accepted as kin by the Potawatomis [close allies of the Ottawa]. He was part of a small group of Potawatomis who aided survivors of the Fort Dearborn massacre [I'm uncomfortable with the value judgment embedded there, but I'll move on]. He served as an interpreter between the government and the local tribes, and was apparently respected by both; the government gave him a 1200 acre reservation of choice Des Plaines River bottom land [from just south of Irving Park Rd. to Foster on both sides of the river] and the Potawatomis considered him an honorary chief. If you walk into the woods for a bit, you will find a large stone marking the family burial plot.

My favorite part of the story comes in the aftermath of the 1871 fire. Out here by the Des Plaines river, the fire was not a physical threat. McGowen writes:

"But for at least one resident, the burning-to-the ground of much of Chicago was not a catastrophe. Che Che Pin Qua ... went to look at the ruins, and as he stood by the Lake Street Bridge and gazed out over the blackened, smoldering litter of ashes, tumbled bricks, and melted metal that was all that was left of the skyline, he suddenly let out an exultant whoop and loudly exclaimed that now he could again see the prairie from this place, as he had been able to do when he was a young man. Clearly, he regarded the elimination of all those buildings, that had been blotting out the natural world, as a blessing!"

Giovanna

Sheesh. Here I am, waving my hand in the air shouting "Call on me! I know this one! Over here!" and while I go find the book and type two other people have already answered the question.

Quite a group we got here.

Giovanna

Ramon wrote:
The stretch of Irving Park Road from Cumberland to East River stabs through the Indian Boundary Division of the Cook County Forest Preserve at a posted speed of 45 mph. With the Schiller Woods South to the north and the Che-che-pin-qua Woods to the south, you'd think there'd be nothing worth of chow note. Not so - perhaps?

For years I'd noticed groups of people with five gallon water bottles lined up at a water pump at a wayside on this route.

Ramon,

I grew up on the northwest side of Chicago and our Boy Scout troop would tramp through this area, and I do remember seeing people collecting water from the pumps even then. I seem to recall, though, that the water had a distinctly sulfurous scent and taste -- we kids called it "egg water." If you didn't catch that scent, then perhaps either the water is different, or I was sniffing a different pump. At any rate, I'm tempted to keep a jug in my car and stop by Che-che-pin-qua's pump the next time I'm in the area.

Hammond

Many people do not know that the chief and his family are buried very nearby us. Just north of lawrence and east river road on the west side, 200 feet or so you will see a wayside to park. just inside is the grave of the chief and some of his family. his house was not much further into the woods from here. It is almost exactly where the poor schuesler boys where murdered in the late 50's which was so grim that my mother reminded me about it well into the late 60's.

The burial ground has been considered haunted for at least 4 decades by locals. we used to party there in the 70's and often several people would see shadows moving or orbs or hear war chant type sounds. Most of the ghost tour operators in chicago make it a regular stop.

As for the water at the woods on irving. several years ago i redeveloped a old well on my property. I had (and still do have) water samples checked by a lab and i also submitted a sample of the che=che well water. They where both very clean and pure and the analyst said based on my well depth that it is likely from the same aquafer as the well on irving. they also said it is probably from canada. I dont know, I have been drinking it and watering the lawn and washing cars with it for 15 years and like the taste. my family prefers to drink store bought water.

Didn't know what section to post in. I figured if anyone knows, somebody from this forum will. Does anyone know why people are waiting in line to get water from the hand pumps in the forest preserves???

Without knowing which suburb, I can't be certain of the people you saw standing in line, but I know that traditionally, when I was standing in line at a forest preserve hand pump, it was because there was a boil water order for the suburb, or some major water main rupture had interrupted service. More recently, the standing in line at the forest preserve pump was with friends who live in an unincorporated area that relied on well water and had a power outage -- and with no power, there was no water coming from the well. We got one pail full for drinking and one for flushing the toilet.

So I'm betting some area has, for some reason, had their water service interrupted.

Thanks Cynthia. I often see people getting water from a pump in the forest preserve near Irving Park and Des Plaines River Road. People appear to be there pretty frequently.

Ask and ye shall find it on LTH - viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2174

Interesting. I had no idea that there was a pump people visited without having their water cut off. I'd also never heard of Che Che Pin Qua. As far away as that intersection is, I will probably never find out if the water is superior, but it's an interesting bit of Chicago history and lore to have acquired. Thanks.

Hi,

I usually drive through the Skokie Lagoons on my way to visit a cousin. It is not unusual to find people pumping water into containers.

I always considered them health advocates who like their water with minerals and no fluoride.

Regards,

The Skokie Lagoons had the closest pumps to home when I was growing up, and while we only had to go for water a couple of times, it's the kind of adventure that sticks in a child's imagination. But it was definitely out of necessity.

Giovanna wrote:And, on to Che Che Pin Qua, or as his father named him, Alexander Robinson. There's more to his story [as found in "Island Within A City" by Tom McGowen, a book about Norridge and Harwood Heights {!!}] than I'm going to summarize here, but I'm willing to xerox more if anyone would like. He was the son of a mother from the Ottawa tribe and a British father, and was accepted as kin by the Potawatomis [close allies of the Ottawa]. He was part of a small group of Potawatomis who aided survivors of the Fort Dearborn massacre [I'm uncomfortable with the value judgment embedded there, but I'll move on]. He served as an interpreter between the government and the local tribes, and was apparently respected by both; the government gave him a 1200 acre reservation of choice Des Plaines River bottom land [from just south of Irving Park Rd. to Foster on both sides of the river] and the Potawatomis considered him an honorary chief. If you walk into the woods for a bit, you will find a large stone marking the family burial plot.

Intersting that a very similar story is told in my neighborhod about Billy Caldwell, or Chief Sauganash as he is also known. There is an historical marker along Rogers Ave. that marks the old Indian Boundry Road, where the border of Caldwell's property lies.

Cynthia wrote:The Skokie Lagoons had the closest pumps to home when I was growing up, and while we only had to go for water a couple of times, it's the kind of adventure that sticks in a child's imagination. But it was definitely out of necessity.

HI,

For your circumstances it was necessity. I really had the sense these people were there because they wanted to.

I have never had a boil order wherever I have lived.

The next I see pumpers, I will stop to inquire and advise.

Regards,

Thanks. Lthforum is brilliant!

There is a place I remember in Barrington that people would go to but that was because it was spring water. Also one in Dundee. These didn't have pumps but a pipe out of a hillside.

I grew up near che che pin qua and would often walk the woods to his grave. i also saw the people pumping water on irving. I think my grandfather did this. i hope these people that pump water realized it is not safe to pump water and let it sit especially without refrigeration as it can become contaminated with bacteria. Its also not safe to drink water out of a bottle and put it back in the fridge or the worse open it and drink it in the car and then let it sit there and drink it the next day.

My family used to own an artesian spring that was utilized by much of the surrounding community - even though the water quality nearby was relatively good, it was worth it to drive 5 miles outside of a very small town to get this delicious water. When my uncle finally sold the land, it was on the condition that my family could return for water whenever we wanted. Sure, it seems silly, but when you grow accustomed to good water it's hard to go back. Many intervening years have desensitized my tongue to the insults of chlorine and fluoride, but I do still appreciate good spring water.