Did you know Hubbard Street is named after one of early Chicago’s best-known figures?
- Admin
- May 20
- 1 min read
At HUB116, even the address has a story. Hubbard Street honors Gurdon S. Hubbard, an early Chicago trader and businessman who arrived in 1818 and became one of the city’s most recognized early residents.
Gurdon S. Hubbard (1802-1886). In 1818, Hubbard arrived in Chicago at the age of 16 as a representative of John Jacob Astor's American Fur Trading Company. The Native Americans with whom he traded knew him as Papamatabe, meaning "Swift Walker."
In 1834, Hubbard discontinued his fur trading ventures, establishing himself as a permanent resident of Chicago. Hubbard went on to become a successful shipper, commission merchant, meat packer, and investor in real estate, among other things, but lost much of his fortune in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Hubbard also participated extensively in Chicago's public life, serving as one of the new community's first trustees and later as a city alderman.
It’s a reminder that at 116 W Hubbard, you’re working on a street tied directly to Chicago’s beginnings - in a neighborhood where business, movement, and growth have always been part of the story.
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