“You want a picture of Gage Park? Think brick bungalows, strong backs, and a dozen reasons not to ask questions after dark.”
Gage Park lies in the heart of Chicago’s Southwest Side—boxed in by Brighton Park to the north, West Lawn to the west, and the haunted remains of the stockyards just east. In the 1950s, it's a neighborhood of stoop-front pride and shined-up streets, where flags still hang from front porches and neighbors know exactly who’s supposed to be on the block. The residents are mostly Polish, Lithuanian, Irish, and Slovak—children of labor, tradition, and Catholic schools. Outsiders are noticed. Strangers are questioned.
But the cracks are there. Underneath the manicured yards and parish halls, the Outfit keeps its hooks deep—in hauling contracts, sanitation routes, and union halls along 55th. Veil presence hums quietly, held at bay by basement rites and whispered prayers burned into old brick. Some locals burn salt. Others bury saints upside down. Everyone pretends they don’t hear the train whistle at 3:33 a.m. that never matches a scheduled route.
Neighborhoods
The Grid
Orderly, tight, and lined with pride. This is the heart of Gage Park’s working-class white identity: bungalows, parishes, and watchful block captains. St. Camillus stands like a stone sentinel at its center. Publicly, the Outfit doesn’t operate here. Privately, their trucks don’t get ticketed, and their donations keep certain festivals running. This is where generations stay stacked in flats—and where secrets go to ground. Crime & Underworld Locations: Tomczak Hauling Yard – Outfit-controlled depot with falsified manifests Basement 3 of Union Local 241 – Gambling, bribes, and quiet beatings Kloski’s Bar & Bottle Shop – Neighborhood tavern with “silent” meetings and a tapped phone line Veil Locations: St. Camillus Crypt – Unmarked door behind the altar leads to a buried chamber Harriet Alley Shrine – Hidden candle-altar with burned Veil sigils in the bricks Greszyn’s Attic Room – Boarded window still glows blue during thunderThe Curve
Named for the bending rail line near 59th, this area feels looser, older, and slightly haunted. More vacant lots, more low fences. Here, Polish traditions run into Mexican newcomers—tension simmering just beneath backyard fences. Rail crossings flicker at the wrong time. Shrines grow out of chain-link and thistle. This is the edge of comfort. Where old boundaries falter. Crime & Underworld Locations: Bender Switch Station (abandoned) – Occasionally staffed for “night shifts” no one admits to Felka’s Storage Lockers – Rented under false names; Outfit stash point Rudy’s Garage & Tap – Chop-shop out front, moonshine in the back Veil Locations: The Curveyard Lot – Unused freight lane where time skips happen in rain Train 418 Memorial Shrine – Built for a derailment that never officially happened Arched Storm Tunnel off 59th – Local kids dare each other to touch the water. Some forget their own names after.Notes
Racial integration efforts have stalled hard—Latino families live quietly, and only on the edges. The Outfit funds neighborhood fairs and “beautification” projects as laundering fronts. St. Camillus has officially denied any basement crypts. Locals claim to hear organ music beneath their floors. Several instances of “frozen time” reported near freight crossings during storms. One retired priest supposedly keeps a binding circle under his bed—just in case. CPD operates with blinders on unless someone “important” makes a call. Polish witches—babki ziół—still live here. They don’t advertise. They don’t need to. Kids are taught not to whistle after dark. Especially not along the tracks.Sanctified muscle, buried debts, and spirits that walk in work boots. Gage Park keeps its dead close—and its doors locked after dusk.
| Wealth | |
| Security & Safety | |
| Criminal Influence | |
| Occult Influence |
| Polish American | 38% |
| Lithuanian/Slovak | 22% |
| Irish American | 18% |
| Italian American | 10% |
| Mexican American | 5% |
| Other | 7% |
| South Side |
| Southwest Side |
Gage Park
Tomczak Hauling Yard – Sanitation depot quietly controlled by Outfit middlemen.
Bender Switch Station – Abandoned rail signal station, often used by teens and trespassers.
Union Local 241 Hall – Cornerstone of labor power and backroom deals on 55th.
Kloski’s Bar & Bottle Shop – Family-run tavern, Outfit-friendly, with a cold backroom.
Train 418 Memorial Shrine – Candle-stained tribute to a disaster that never officially happened.
The Grid – Crime & Underworld Tomczak Hauling Yard – Outfit-run, disguises distribution routes for illicit goods.
Basement 3 of Union Local 241 – Quiet room for bribes, muscle meetings, and contract enforcement.
Kloski’s Backroom – Site of gambling, debt collection, and occasional disappearances.
The Grid – Veil Activity St. Camillus Crypt – Hidden chamber beneath the altar—sealed, but never still.
Harriet Alley Shrine – Old stone shrine behind three homes, always warm to the touch.
Greszyn’s Attic Room – Abandoned flat where the mirror fogs from the inside.
The Curve – Crime & Underworld Felka’s Storage Lockers – Anonymous stash points frequently accessed by unknown parties.
Rudy’s Garage & Tap – Chop-shop, speakeasy, and gossip exchange hub.
Bender Switch Station – Used for quiet night drops and unmarked train activity.
The Curve – Veil Activity The Curveyard Lot – Vacant freight yard with abnormal time drift during rainfall.
Train 418 Memorial Shrine – Flowers never wilt. Prayers sometimes answer back.
Arched Storm Tunnel off 59th – Reported to whisper names when walked at night.
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