The S.S. Eastland was a Chicago-based passenger ship used for tours. On July 24, 1915, the ship rolled over while tied to a dock in the Chicago River. A total of 844 passengers and crew were killed in what was to become the largest loss of life from a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes. Using motion picture videos from 1915, photographs, and a firsthand narrative delivered by descendants of a survivor, this 45‐minute program explains how and why it happened, the nation’s response, and how it could have been avoided.
This program is presented by the Eastland Disaster Historical Society.