East Side in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Martyrs—Heroes—Unionists
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, July 17, 2026
1. Martyrs-Heroes-Unionists Marker
Shot down May 30, 1937, Memorial Day, at the gates of Republic Steel Co. while parading for the right to organize a union, promote industrial democracy and to secure justice and equality for working men and women everywhere.
Erected 1967 by United Steelworkers of America.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Labor Unions • Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is May 30, 1937.
Location. 41° 40.923′ N, 87° 32.396′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in the East Side. It is on South Avenue O near East 117th Street, on the right when traveling north. This marker stands in the parking lot next to the Generation to Generation Church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11723
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Regionally, this marker is in Illinois’ Calumet Region. It is also 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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: National Historic Site Memorial Day Massacre (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Steelworkers Organize in the Southeast Side (about 300 feet away); a different marker also named Martyrs—Heroes—Unionists (about 300 feet away); About the Sculpture (about 300 feet away); Illinois-Indiana Boundary Marker (approx. 2 miles away); Castle #30 - Whiting, IN (approx. 2.1 miles away in Indiana); East Side Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.2 miles away); Whiting Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.4 miles away in Indiana). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.
More about this marker.
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, July 17, 2026
2. Martyrs-Heroes-Unionists Marker in context
The building behind the marker was the USW Local 1033 headquarters at the time the memorial was built. The street is Avenue O looking south.
Also see . . . Memorial Day Massacre of 1937. Chicago History Museum
As the protesters marched, they faced a formation of uniformed police officers. What followed was a harrowing display of state force: police threw tear gas canisters, fired bullets, and used their clubs to brutally bash the heads and bodies of the demonstrators.(Submitted on July 17, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana.)
The aftermath of the violence was catastrophic: ten lay dead, 40 were shot, and more than 90 were wounded.
Among the injured was Ms. Guadalupe “Lupe” Gallardo Marshall, a petite 31-year-old Mexican immigrant and volunteer social worker at the Hull-House Settlement. Marshall stood among the 200 women at the march. Police officers beat her, but even as she tried to escape, she defended her unconscious fellow protestors. Police forced her into a packed wagon, alongside other injured demonstrators, where despite her own injuries, Marshallattended to other victims. The wagon deliberately roamed the city, delaying its arrival at Burnside Hospital on the South Side.Photographed by Daniel Barriball, July 17, 20263. Martyr-Heroes-Unionists MemorialThe attachment for the missing flagpole can be seen atop the memorial.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 17, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. This page has been viewed 19 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 17, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
