There is a new phenomenon gripping Roscoe Village: a rat hole. Located on Roscoe and Wolcott, there is a hole that looks like the imprint of a rat. It is actually an imprint of a squirrel that has been there for over two decades according to locals around the area. Just recently, though, its popularity has exploded due to a recent Twitter post that attracted a lot of attention. 

When asked if they have heard of it many students say yes. Sophomore Harper Jordan, who has never seen it in person, said “I feel like I’m always hearing about it because it’s so close to DePaul Prep.”

According to the owner of local business Shanghai Lai, which is a vintage store, “It’s been around 25+ years. People who lived in the neighborhood would show it to friends…but it wasn’t a big attraction…[until] the post went on Twitter and went viral.” 

This happened around a month ago. Since then it has gained coverage from several big news outlets like the Washington Post and the Atlantic, gained a Wikipedia page, and even a spot on Google where it has 4.9/5 stars based on 45 reviews. There was even a wedding that took place there. At the height of its popularity, there were dozens of people standing around and taking pictures. Nearby bar The Reveler even has a rathole themed drink. 

Many people have started to leave objects around the hole as a shrine. As the owner of Shangri Lai said, “There’s you name it. There was a Kansas City football jersey, bottles of Valor, cheese sticks, Taco Bell, McDonald’s, hard seltzer, you name it.” Other offerings have been money, signs, and even stuffed animals.

Freshman Grace Carbonara who walks by it everyday on the way home from school has seen, “a bunch of coins and candles and a bunch of food and stuff around it…I’ve seen more and more people come by the day.”

Senior Sophie Buol brought up the point that the rat hole has been around for a long time and “even before it was popular, the neighbors would make a grave for the rat every Halloween. It was really strange when everyone became obsessed with it because it had been there for years.”

Lately there have been concerns over the safety of the hole and also annoyance from neighbors. As the owner of Shangri Lai said, “The whole thing about leaving food, it just isn’t cool because a) there’s people who live literally 6 feet [from it]. Their living room window’s 6 feet away from it. It’s bad…You know a lot of people around here have dogs….you don’t want the dog eating [the food around the hole] You don’t want other rodents coming around.” The food piled around it is left to sit there until eventually it is removed. Sometimes the rat has been covered with a variety of foods while other times only a few coins have remained scattered around. Concerns about if the rat hole will have to be removed have been raised. 

Simrin Anderson, a sophomore, has noticed that “[it] normally seems to be a great attraction for the Chicago community. But lately it’s started to become a bit out of hand by the increase of trash and ‘offerings’ left by the hole. When our track team runs by it, my eyes are drawn to the clutter left on the side rather than the rate hole. This has left residents nearby having to clean up after the donors.” 

Carbonara voiced her frustration when she said, “It’s…annoying because it’s been there for a long time and it’s just now getting popular but I feel like it might also start to get unsafe if a lot more people come to it.”

Buol added on to these concerns. “For about two weeks, there would be several people around the hole every time I passed it. When it was temporarily filled in, there was a candlelight vigil held for it. So many people visited it that the neighbors had to put signs up telling people to be quiet.” 

Residents might not have as many issues in the future as “its popularity is waning…I don’t really see people stop by it anymore,” according to Buol. 

Despite this, Jordan voiced her opinion that despite “it’s popularity…starting to wane based off what I’ve heard online from people who don’t live in Chicago,…I think for now it’s still kind of a ‘staple landmark.”’

 As long as the viewers keep flocking, both the residents and spectators hope they can come to an agreement that will ensure both sides are happy. Who knows. This site could last for weeks or remain for many years to come. As the owner said to all those going to visit, “Be cool and respect the neighbors.”