| In 1898, the Paul E. Berger Company, manufacturers
of cash registers and slot machines, located adjacent to the railroad.
The Berger Company built housing for its employees, and a settlement
emerged around the factory, with a tavern, rooming house, and grocery
store.
The first post office opened in 1900 in the Berger factory, and
in 1902 the Wabash Railroad established a train station. Both Chicago
Ridge and Worth benefited from the activity and economic influences
of a racetrack operating on 111th Street. Local residents proudly
recall that a member of one of the founding families of the Chicago
Ridge area, Fred Herbert, won the Kentucky Derby in 1910. The racetrack
was torn down in 1911 and is now the site of Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
After Oak Lawn incorporated in 1909, Chicago Ridge considered the
move. An incorporated government could replace wooden sidewalks,
deal with the stagnant waters in the swampy areas, initiate local
municipal services and provide locally elected and accountable officials.
They accomplished those tasks and more. Their successors then built
on those early improvements with paved streets, sewers, street lights,
and sidewalks. They also brought Lake Michigan water to the area.
Chicago Ridge grew from 176 in 1920 to 888 in 1950. With the great
demand for housing and the expansion of road networks to include
expressways, Chicago Ridge was poised for growth. Along with a strong
new industrial and commercial base, the population increased dramatically,
to 5,748 in 1960 and 14,127 in 2000.[3]
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