Part I. History. Embryonic Chicago ; A hopeful town ; The infant city ; A note of advance ; A splendid heat ; A few documents ; A fruitful decade ; The great fire ; After the fire ; The new Chicago. -- Part II. Current record and description. Railroads of Chicago ; Burden of the iron horse ; Commerce of Chicago ; Manufactures of Chicago ; Some Chicago institutions ; Board of Trade ; Chicago's characteristics ; The future of Chicago ; The capital of the interior ; The lay of the land. -- Part III. Tracts and titles. The Chicago real estate market ; Land titles in Chicago ; Episodes of trade ; Values of business land ; Streets of Chicago ; Chicago newspapers. -- Part IV. Statistics. Tables showing the growth of Chicago's population, wealth and produce trades ; Present volume of produce trades, and by what routes it is moved ; Tonnage of the port, and direct importation of merchandise ; Total of business houses in Chicago and St. Louis ; National banks, etc. ; Chicago as a borrower ; Prices of city real estate --

Part V. Parks of Chicago. The South park system ; The West park system ; City pleasure grounds.

Part VI. Suburbs of Chicago. Arlington Heights (formerly Dunton) ; Auburn ; Austin ; Chicago & Pacific Railroad stations ; Clarendon Hills ; Clyde ; Cornell ; Danby ; Downer's Grove ; Desplaines ; Elmhurst ; Englewood ; Evanston ; Galewood ; Glencoe ; Grayland ; Hawthorne ; Highland Park ; Highwood ; Hinsdale ; Humboldt ; Hyde Park ; Irving Park ; Jefferson ; Kelvyn Grove ; Kenwood ; La Grange ; Lake Forest ; Lake View ; Lombard ; Maplewood ; Maywood ; Melrose ; Mont Clare ; Montrose ; Mount Forest ; North Evanston ; Northwestern Railroad car shops ; Norwood Park ; Oakland ; Oak Park ; Oakwood ; Pacific ; Palatine ; Park Ridge ; Parkside ; Ravenswood ; Ridgeland ; Ridgelawn ; River Forest ; River Park ; Riverside ; Roger's Park ; Rosehill Cemetery ; South Chicago ; South Englewood ; South Evanston ; South Lawn ; South Park ; South Shore ; Washington Heights ; Wilmette ; Winnetka ; Woodlawn.