Early History
West Chicago is the first Illinois community created by the debut
of the railroads. Early records show that a few settlers owned property
in the area of present day West Chicago as early as the late 1830s.
In 1849 a town began to form when the Galena & Chicago Union
Railroad (predecessor of the Chicago & North Western, now the
Union Pacific) arrived from Chicago.
That same year the St. Charles Branch Railroad connected St. Charles
with the Galena & Chicago Union (G&CU) here, followed by
the Aurora Branch line in 1850. These connections formed the first
railroad junction in Illinois and gave West Chicago its first name,
Junction.
Because of the number of trains passing through town, water and
fuel facilities for locomotives and a roundhouse were built here,
as well as an early eating-house and hotel for travelers. As a result,
a number of new employees and their families located to this community.
The original settlers were primarily English and Irish, with Germans
arriving in the 1860s and Mexican immigrants by the 1910s.
John B. Turner, president of the G&CU and a resident of Chicago,
owned several acres of land in what is now the center of town. As
more people settled in Junction, Turner recognized the chance to
make a profit by platting his land and selling off lots. He therefore
recorded the community’s first plat in 1855 under the name
of Town of Junction.
The community continued its growth, and in 1857 Dr. Joseph McConnell
and his wife Mary platted a second portion of town just north of
John B. Turner’s plat. They recorded their plat as the Town
of Turner in honor of the railroad president. These two “towns”
became informally known as Turner Junction.
By 1873 the community had taken on a substantial and permanent
character, so the residents incorporated as the Village of Turner.
In 1888 a new railroad, the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern built a
freight line through town. It offered free factory sites for any
industry willing to locate along its right-of-way. As part of the
effort to attract industry, the community changed its name in 1896
to the Village of West Chicago. Area businessmen, particularly Charles
Bolles, reasoned that the new name sounded more cosmopolitan, and
would help draw prospective factory owners.
In 1888, the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad laid tracks through
town and gave away free factory sites along its right-of-way. As
industry located in West Chicago and new jobs opened up, the population
increased. By 1910 the population was 2,378 and several new industries
had located here including the Borden’s milk condensing plant,
the Turner Cabinet Company and the Turner Brick Company. The community
continues to attract quality business and residential development
that contributes to the culturally diverse community that exists
today. |