This document discusses the history of the meatpacking industry in Chicago, particularly in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. It details how the establishment of the Union Stock Yards in 1865 led to the expansion of meatpacking in the surrounding areas of Chicago. As the stockyards and railroads grew, small stockyards were created around the city. The neighborhood became home to many immigrant workers employed in the dangerous and difficult conditions of the meatpacking plants. Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle depicted the horrifying conditions these workers faced.