Chicago rat hole is filled in with cement – only for local resident to find fans digging it out again with spoons and license plates: ‘It’s always been a fun part of the street’
Fur flies on an Illinois street as dislocated neighbors wage war over the future of the famed Chicago Rat Hole.
The decades-old print of an unfortunate rodent preserved in the concrete of a Roscoe Village paving stone went viral in January after comedian Winslow Dumaine posted a photo to his X account.
Thousands of tourists flocked to leave tributes at the curious contours, with one couple even getting married on site.
But the crowds on the residential street have infuriated some and the imprint was filled with cement for a second time on Wednesday – only so rat fans could dig it out each time.
“It’s just sad that someone would do this,” neighbor Cindy Nelson told the Chicago Tribune, “Let it be joyful.”
Little was left of the Chicago Rat Hole after a disgruntled neighbor filled it with cement Tuesday night, much to the dismay of fans
The rat-shaped print went viral after local artist and comedian Winslow Dumaine (pictured) posted a photo of it on X, formerly known as Twitter, on January 6.
The image, which shows a spread rat stripe in the sidewalk, was accompanied by the text: “Had to make a pilgrimage to the Chicago Rat Hole.”
The neighborhood woke up to find that the unknown opponent had struck overnight, but by mid-afternoon rat fans had taken out the stuffing with spoons and license plates.
“I’m glad they did that,” resident Emma Cheski, 25, said.
‘All the neighbors love it. It has always been a pleasant part of the street.’
Online conversations about the rat hole date back at least a decade, with speculation about its origins sparking fierce debate.
And some heraticians have suggested that the print may not be that of a rat at all.
“That definitely looks more like a squirrel than a rat to me,” one observer noted. “And I say this as someone who has been bitten by a squirrel.”
“No… it’s a squirrel… I live in the village of Roscoe and we’ve done some research… It’s a squirrel…” another agreed.
“You can tell by the footprints next to it.”
“I took a photo of the exact same print a few months ago, and I’m sorry, but it’s not a squirrel. He’s a fat Chicago rat,” someone else declared.
Within days of Dumaine’s tweet, the hole in the concrete had become a rat sanctuary
Others who have made the pilgrimage to the famous rat hole have left offerings to the rodent print
Visitors have left little trinkets, like this fake rodent, in Chicago’s now famous rat hole
Its fame has made it one of the symbols of the city and one of the viral sensations of 2024
“Alternative theory – somewhere a construction worker, who has a strange sense of humor and cares little about the quality of his work, is holding a rubber rat with his masonry tools,” a fourth person joked.
Winslow surmised that it was probably a “perfect combination of factors” that resulted in the rodent’s print.
“The cement was obviously very wet for a rat to land that deep in it,” he told Book Club Chicago.
“He probably just landed, then covered in cement and then crawled out. Because there are little scratches near the hole.”
People have brought cheese, coins, bottles of alcohol and flowers to the site, and some have even created shrines to the rat and in memory of their own beloved pets.
But some residents are furious at the amount of rubbish left in their wake and warn it could attract many more animated rodents.
Local politicians have suggested taking the plaque to a nearby park or even auctioning it off for charity.
But interest has been sparked by local businesses who have collected a range of rat-related memorabilia.
And other cities have taken notice of the excitement, with some beginning to think about their own overlooked attractions, including DC’s Stumpy, the misshapen cherry tree and St. Charles’s frog hole in Missouri.
“My favorite thing is when people walk around and say, ‘Oh, I have an animal den on my street.’ It’s like, ‘Oh, look at this frog print,'” said Gabrielle Plascak, 31, who lives next door.
‘But you can’t beat the rat. It’s the OG.’
The hole was first filled with a plaster-like substance within days of it becoming known
But rat fans soon managed to restore it to its former glory
Pest control company Orkin even named Chicago the ‘rattiest’ city in the country in 2023
The person who filled the gap has remained anonymous, some say out of fear of retaliation.
But the Rat fans on the streets are unimpressed by their efforts.
“It was just a big blob of cement on top,” Plascak said.
“They haven’t even filled in the tail. I thought, ‘Can’t you at least smooth this over for us?’