Chicago, where else would you host the Futon Expo?

Futons and Chicago, together they shaped our world. But until now (because I hadn’t made it up yet), few people realized the important role futons played in Chicago’s history, and visa-versa. It can be said that without Chicago, there would be no futons. And, clearly, without futons, no Chicago. A brief history:

1673 - First Europeans see the area.

Frenchman Jacques Marquette and Canadian Louis Jolliet entered the area on a mapmaking expedition, establishing the first contact between Europeans and the little known “Futona” tribe of Native Americans. The explorers were amazed at the Futona tribe’s remarkable furniture. The tribe’s friendly chief greeted the visitors with one word, “Chicago.”

1803 - Fort Dearborn constructed.

In an effort to regulate the thriving black market trade in Futona-made furniture, the fledgling American nation established a trading post. Here, at last, the Futona tribe could openly exchange their unique furniture for sandals and medicinal herbs. As the years went by, the Futona people became less interested in furniture making and grew introspective. A steady stream of European immigrants would take up the business of making the special furniture, now known simply as “futons.”

1833 - “Chicago” incorporated as a town.

After 30 years, the futon furniture trade came to be dominated by the Americans, who were eager to establish their own government and law enforcement. Alarmed at this prospect, the remaining Futona people quickly gathered up their herbs and left the area. After heated debate, the name “Chicago” was chosen over “Futonville.” Nevertheless, it was still a nod to the Futona tribe. In their native tongue, “Chicago” meant “sit and sleep.”

1860 - Republican Convention nominates Abraham Lincoln.

Chicago and its futon furniture gained worldwide fame. The introduction of cotton batting into the mattresses was a major innovation, and prompted the rise of cotton as the dominant cash crop in the American south. Soon, a struggle ensued over which region would control the lucrative futon furniture trade. Fittingly, Abraham Lincoln was nominated for the presidency in Chicago. At the time, he was widely known as “The Futon Candidate,” ensuring his election and, unavoidably, the outbreak of civil war.

1871 - The Great Chicago Fire.

After the Civil War (known as “The Futon War” at the time), the futon business thrived as never before in Chicago. Hastily constructed futon factories were operating around the clock in every corner of the city. Disaster was inevitable. One night, futon mattress tufter Kate O’Leary tied up her cow next to an oil lamp as she opened a bale of cotton. The resulting fire spread and consumed the entire city. In the aftermath, futon makers established flammability standards and urged the government to create the CPSC.

1872 - Montgomery Ward established.

As the world clamored for more futons, futon merchant Aaron Montgomery Ward established the world’s first mail-order business. His first catalog consisted of a single sheet of paper with pictures of four futons and ordering instructions. Eventually, the catalog would grow to immense proportions and offer all manner of goods. In a small bit of irony, Montgomery Ward shipped the first futons to Japan, to eager Japanese clamoring for western goods in the 1880’s. Generations later, Americans would rediscover the futon in Japan. They’d mistakenly believe that the futon had originated there, and that myth continues to the present day.

1920’s - Al Capone’s mob dominates Chicago.

The futon business grew and created immense wealth. Drawn by futon riches, mobster Al Capone muscled his way into the futon business and attained dominance with his ruthless tactics. In a drive for greater gain, he eventually brought his rough-and-tumble futon tactics to the genteel world of illegal alcohol. The nation was outraged and set out to tame lawlessness in Chicago. Capone was eventually defeated and his empire was dismantled. Liquor was later legalized and made a comeback, but the futon business never recovered. Distracted by the Great Depression and World War II, America forgot the futon.

1942 - Fermi achieves controlled atomic reaction.

Chicago had forgotten futons, but events continued drawing futons and Chicagoans together. Italian physicist Enrico Fermi labored in secret at the University of Chicago to achieve the first nuclear chain reaction. Eventually, his experiments resulted in the development of the atomic bombs which were dropped on Japan in 1945. The resulting horror brought a minor, but unintended consequence: American soldiers and scientists re-opened Japan to the west, paving the way for futons to re-enter America.

1968 - Street violence overshadows the Democratic Convention.

Another Chicago event completed the unintended futon chain reaction initiated by Fermi. Thousands of sandal-wearing American youths descended on Chicago during the 1968 Democratic Convention. Their stated goal was to protest the Vietnam War, but afterwards many would say they’d been in search of something deeper and unknown. In the wake of street violence in Chicago, many of these confused young people found solace in medicinal herbs. Surely, these youngsters were the spiritual (if not actual) descendants of the long-lost Futona tribe! Later some of them would venture to Japan to discover Eastern spirituality and, more importantly, the futon.

2002 - Futon & Specialty Sleep Expo held.

Now, the arc of Chicago history is completed, as the modern-day Futona tribe returns to the place where it all began. Sadly, very few know about this centuries-old link between futons and Chicago, and their combined impact on the entire world. To this day, many Chicagoans are skeptical, even when confronted with the facts. Please, let’s not rub their noses in it. Whenever we hear them say “Chicago,” that will be enough.

FL