- How one rodent’s misfortune touched and annoyed an entire neighborhood.
Potholes — nobody likes them. Except maybe this one.
For decades, a peculiar pothole has charmed passersby in a Chicago neighborhood. Although it does stand as a testament to the poor maintenance of Chicago streets, you can’t help but find the hole amusing.
After all, it’s shaped like a squished rat.
Although the unlucky rodent’s imprint has been embedded in the street for years and years, it didn’t break into wider fame until early this year. Over the past couple of months, people have flocked to see the Chicago rat hole in what have become known as “pilgrimages.”
Recently, however, someone — not the City of Chicago — filled the rat hole. The locals wouldn’t let the good times end, though, and excavated the imprint to its original condition.
But why would someone try to spoil people’s fun? Well, although some locals have embraced this incidental piece of local history, others are getting sick and tired of the noisy, rude crowds that the rat imprint attracts.
Let’s take a closer look at Chicago’s famous rat hole and the neighborhood row seething beneath the surface.
The History of the Hole
Nobody knows for certain when the Chicago rat hole was born, but we do know that it’s been there for a long time. According to confirmed accounts, the rodent imprint has grazed West Roscoe Street for at least 20 years, and some stories claim it’s been there for 30.
Yet, although the hole is shaped like a rat-sized critter with a long thin tail, it wasn’t necessarily made by a rat. Many locals and rodent experts believe that it was created by a squirrel that fell out of the oak tree that once grew at the spot.
The city probably should’ve fixed the rat hole years ago but, in this case, the locals didn’t mind. You have to admit, there’s just something funny about the thing.
Going Viral
So, the rat hole has amused pedestrians for a long, long time. Early this year, however, it broke into the mainstream consciousness.
It was all due to one tweet (or… What do you call X posts?) by comedian Winslow Dumaine, who shared a picture of the rat hole. And just like that, everybody wanted to go witness it.
People began flocking to West Roscoe Street to gawk at the pothole. Others went even further, leaving change or cheese behind, but eventually, the offerings expanded to alcohol, tobacco, flowers, and who knows what else.
Things soon went even beyond that as the rat hole became a true phenomenon. People have staged engagements and even marriages at the pothole.
And then it all ended — for a while.
Action and Reaction
On January 19, fans of the rat hole woke up to a tragedy. Someone had filled the hole.
The famous rat hole had been poured full of a gray, hardened substance. It wasn’t quite concrete, but instead some kind of plaster material.
Was this really how the City of Chicago takes care of its streets? Well, not quite — when rat-hole-loving locals called city offices to complain, they were told that the authorities had not fixed the 30-year-old pothole.
You know, we’re not sure if that’s good or not.
Anyway, the rodent imprint didn’t stay filled for long. That very same afternoon, a group of locals was hard at work to scrape out the plaster.
However, they refused to give their names to curious media representatives. The excavators said they’d rather remain anonymous for fear of retribution.
Loud Crowds
Fearing reprisals for scraping the hole clean might sound weird, but it’s a reasonable concern. Not everyone living on West Roscoe Street is a fan of the rat hole.
They didn’t mind it when the rat hole was an obscure local curiosity that brought a smile to passersby’s faces. But when it became a sensation, the hordes of tourists ruined the Roscoe Village neighborhood’s peaceful vibe.
After all, with the sacrifices, pilgrimages, and weddings came rowdy, loud crowds. It got even worse when the visitors came late at night, perhaps after a couple of drinks before going to see the rat hole.
According to Chicago police, there have been multiple rat hole-related noise complaints in the area since the beginning of the year. With the lack of official response, the residents have started putting up signs politely asking people to shut up.
Even then, few people in the neighborhood want to see the rat hole gone. It’s part of the local scenery — they just want things to go back the way they were so they can live in peace and quite.
So, if you go see the Chicago rat hole, remember to keep the volume down. The future of the attraction may depend on it.