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Wilmeltes 75th Annivenary 1872-1947WILMETTE LIFE1890: Mr. Paul was also respon-The Village TermA Little Village and How It Grewsible for the boundary expansion theLongfollowing year. This tract extended Used to Namefrom Sixteenth street west to theMainGross Point line at Ridge road and Shopping Areafrom Forest avenue north to a lineTha half-block north of Elmwood ave-e expression "The Village" isnue.a Wilmette colloquialism datingbMet KenilworthWaiclkm emttany years. To a resident ofe "The Village" means notIn 1896, the Village of Kenilworththe entire municipality but just thewas incorporated and the two com-shopping center near the villagemunities met at the point wherehall.Chestnut avenue bends to become. No. other North Shore communityCumnor road.calls its principal shopping center1906: In this year, Wilmette ex-simply "The Village."panded to the south to meet Evans-Wilmettes use of the expressionton at Isabella street. The new addi-dates back to around 1867, beforetion extended west to Fifteenththe community was incorporatedstreet, the old west line of the In-and when Alexander McDaniel con-dian reservation, and east to Sheri-ducted a sort of informal branchdan road. East of Sheridan road,post office in connection with hisnorth as far as the line of Oakwoodreal estate business.avenue, was Evanston, and Evans-Theton, too, got a tract a half-block deep few residents of the area innorth of Isabella street betweenthose days would go "over to thevillage,"Third street and Sheridan road. The or "down to the village,"oeastern part of this annexation hadr "up to the village" to Mr. Mc-Danielbeen variously known as Hillvilles office for the mail.and as Llewellyn Park.The mail itself, by the way, wouldbe1911: The expansion to the south taken to and brought from theneareswas completed, when the rectanglet regular post office, Evans-bounded by Isabella street, Ridgeton, by a highly informal method:anybodyroad, Wilmette avenue, and Fif- who happened to be walk-teenth street, was added to the Vil-ing that way would take the mailalonglage of Wilmette..Once a Marsh1922: The building boom which fol-Log-Banking Waslowed the First World war madeEarlyland values soar. The area shown in Village Jobthe map for 1922, bounded by theOnNorth Western tracks, Glendenninge of the first and most hazard-road, Ashland avenue, and the oldous occupations in early Wilmettewanorth limits, was once golf courses log banking. About the timeand marsh. The rest of the area be-of the settlement of Wilmette, Chi-tween the tracks and Ridge roadcago was growing short of lumber,went to Kenilworth.and log banking, or towing logsalong the lake shore to Chicago, was1924: The Village of Gross Pointan inducement to anyone whowas dissolved in 1923, and in thewanted to risk the danger of thefollowing year, much of the formerjob.territory was voted into Wilmette,Treeand Illinois road became the news in wooded Wilmette werewest line. Parts of old Gross Pointfelled and slashed and then rolleddown the bank to the edge of theWweinntn ettok aEvanston, Kenilworth, and, and some of it, aroundlake where they were tied togetherthe Indian Hill Golf club is still un-into sizeable rafts. These rafts wereincorporated.towed along the lake shore into Chi-cago to be sold in the city market.To Skokie ValleyThe logs were mostly hard wood 1926: The North Shore electric lineoak, elm, and ash.was building its Skokie valley routeBecause there were no break-and Wilmette pushed its limits westwaters at this time, this work wasonce more. North of Lake avenue itdangerous and cost the lives ofreached the east fork of the northseveral men when their rafts werebranch of the Chicago river; southbroken up by the large waves.of Lake avenue, it stopped just shortof the tracks. In that year, Wil-mette acquired two more immediateSee! Old Days Hadneighbors: Glenview and Skokie(then Niles Center).Fish Stories, Too1939: A small unincorporated tri-angle, just to the east of the tracksThis is another fish story and youEXPANSIONbetween Kenilworth and Wilmette OF WILMETTE is traced in the outline maps above. Ascan believe it or not, but it was toldbecame "Connecticut Village" andbyincorporated in 1872 75 years ago the village occupied the northern an Old Settler of Gross Pointwas annexed to Wilmette.andpart of the old Ouilmette Indian grant. we have faith in his word."No Mans Land"It seems that about 60 years ago1883: The tract bounded by Lake1942: Another "orphan" betweena couple of fishermen by the names I1872: In the beginning, the boun-avenue, Fifteenth street, WilmetteKenilworth and Wilmette was "Noof Mack Dusham, uncle of John L.daries were Lake Michigan and (us-Dushamavenue, and Ridge road (to use theMans Land" along the lake shore., 503 Park avenue, and Joe |ing the present names), Elmwoodpresent-day street names) was an-LaudermannPart commercial, part residential,, father of Mrs. John A.avenue, Fifteenth street, and theHoffmannnexed.sometimes part honky-tonk, it had, 1922 Wilmette avenue,line of Oakwood avenue.hadGage Additionbeen a problem to both communities set some nets for perch, her-1874: Expansion began. Two areasring, or eels and anything else theywer1886for years. After a generation of ef-: This was the year the Gagee added: 1. Milton Wilsons ad-could catch.additionfort, Wilmette took it under the mu- was made to the village.Whedition in the northeast was boundednThisnicipal wing. was an irregular area, extend- they went down to bring inby Tenth street. Elmwood avenue.ing from Elmwood avenue near theNote: In the sketch maps above,the nets, they found them in aChestnut avenue, and the lake; 2.Chicago and North Western tracksthe lake shore is shown as it is intangled mess and instead of perchMunn far B. M. Munn, village pres-oeast to Tenth street and north a1947. Matter of fact, much of it,r herring they had caught a 98-ident that yeari and Palmers addi-poundhalf-block beyond Chestnut avenue,especially around the harbor, is sturgeon.tion, one block deep Lake and For-plus an additional area north ofmade land. Most ot Washington parkest avenues > and from FifteenthUNUSUALChestnut avenue all the way to thewas under water, back in 1872, ORDERstreet to Ridge road. Thus in oneTwolake. cases of fathers succeedingyear, Wilmette grew beyond the1889: This addition, and the oneWsoinlsm ient tpublic office are recorded innorth and west boundaries of thee history, both in the case ofold reservation.the following year, were subdivi-ONLY THREE WOMENvillage clerks. Charles P. Wester-sions developed by Edgar T. Paul,Only three women, Mrs. EstellefieldGot a Neighbor was clerk from 1875 to 1878 andreal estate man and one-time vil-N. Pierson, Mrs. Ruth H. Snyder,his father, John G., who had pre-In mat year, too, Wilmette gainedlage president. This was an "L"-and Mrs. Esther D. Bower, haveviously been village president, wasan Immediate neighbor, for west ofshaped tract north of Forest avenueserved on the Wilmette villageclerk from 1879 to 1891. Nicholas J.Ridge road was that year incorpor-between Fifteenth and Sixteenthboard. Each was a member for twoMiller was clerk from 1926 to 1928,ated the Village of Gross Point.streets, plus a "corridor" north ofyears. No woman has ever servedand his father, Nicholas P., hasStill to the north and the south wereElmwood avenue as far east as theas a member of the board of parkbeen clerk since 1932.stretches of unincorporated land.Gagecommissioners in Wilmette. addition.