Chicago Stock Yard Kilty Band was founded in 1921 by Scottish immigrant brothers Robert H. Sim and James S. Sim, both First World War veterans who had served with the Gordon Highlanders. Originally known as the British Legion Pipe Band, it made an early public appearance in Chicago’s Memorial Day parade in 1922, before becoming linked to the Stock Yard American Legion Post No. 333 in 1926.

The band took its name from Chicago’s historic Union Stock Yards, with which it became closely associated. In 1934, a major fire at the Stock Yards destroyed the band’s instruments, uniforms and equipment, but the group rebuilt and adopted the Buchanan Modern tartan, still associated with the band today.

Now regarded as one of the oldest continuously operating pipe bands in the United States, Chicago Stock Yard Kilty Band remains active in parades, community events and competition, carrying a proper Chicago-Scots story: stockyards, veterans, smoke, grit, pipes, drums and no shortage of stubborn survival.