Canton's 'Little Chicago" Era The History of Canton Series

Canton Historian Richard Haldi discusses when the lives of local ministers were threatened, the editor of the city’s newspaper was murdered & Canton’s ‘mafia’ was in cahoots with local mayor & police.

Hotel owner Frank Onesto represents the best of what this era produced. A penniless teenager from Wooster, Ohio, when he arrived in Canton in 1907, Frank was a young man armed with only a dream and an abundance of talent and energy. He rapidly evolved during Canton’s crime era into one of Stark County’s most successful businessmen, ultimately building Canton's most elegant hotel. It's a great Canton story from an era of rampant crime when Canton was known as "Little Chicago."