Rogers Park in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Joyce Kilmer Triangle
1953
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 12, 2025
1. Joyce Kilmer Triangle Marker
Erected 1953 by Joyce Kilmer American Legion Post 780.
Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, World I.
Location. 42° 1.091′ N, 87° 40.228′ W. Memorial is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Rogers Park. It is on North Rogers Avenue near North Ashland Avenue, on the right when traveling east. The marker is on a stone at the small triangular island created by the intersection of Rogers, Birchwood and Ashland Avenues. Touch for map. Memorial is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60626, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies:
this page online
Regarding Joyce Kilmer Triangle. Joyce Kilmer was a noted American poet, best remembered for the poem "Trees." In 1917, he enlisted in the U.S. Army soon after the United States entered the war, and became a sergeant for the "Fighting 69th" New York Infantry Regiment. Kilmer was 31 years old when he was killed on July 30, 1918, during the Second Battle of the Marne, at Muercy Farm, near the village of Seringes-et-Nesles. He is buried at Oise-Aisne American Cemetery.
According to a brief article in the Chicago Tribune, the Joyce Kilmer American Legion post dedicated this plaque here on June 21, 1953. In addition to that post, newspaper reports indicate that there was also a Joyce Kilmer League for women in Rogers Park, which met from around 1919
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 12, 2025
2. Joyce Kilmer Triangle
In this west-facing photo, Ashland Avenue runs in front of the triangle, with Birchwood running east-west from the left side and the diagonal Rogers Avenue cutting from the right.
Also see . . .
1. Poetry Foundation: Joyce Kilmer bio.
Excerpt: "As a family man, he was not required to join the services. Instead, he requestedand receiveda transfer to the infantry and was deployed to Europe. At the time of deployment, he was widely regarded as the leading Catholic American poet of his generation."(Submitted on March 18, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
2. Forgotten Chicago: The Northern Indian Boundary Line. Rogers Avenue runs diagonally through Chicago's north side along what was the northern "Indian Boundary Line" created by the 1816 Treaty of St. Louis, by which Native American tribes ceded a 20-mile-by-70-mile corridor of land to the U.S. government. The land outside the boundaries later was ceded in the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, which led to the expulsion of Native Americans in Northern Illinois. This article on the website Forgotten Chicago examines some of the key locations along Rogers Avenue.
Excerpt about the Joyce Kilmer Triangle: This little triangle at the intersection of Rogers, Birchwood and Ashland is named the 'Joyce Kilmer Triangle.' It is not known why this World War I-era poet is honored with a plaque, considering that he has no known connection to Rogers Park or Chicago. Interestingly enough, there is also a grade school named for him about a mile south of here.(Submitted on March 18, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 18, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 281 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 18, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
