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September 18, 1947Wilmettes 75th Anniversary 1872-1947McCormickPreface and DedicationTownship WasThis supplement is issued as WILMETTE LIFES contribution toUrgedthe celebration of the 75th anniversary of the incorporation of the VillageVillage of Wilmette.Organized by It is dated September 18, 1947, one day before the exact anni-Park Districtversary.Voters in 50Gathered in these pages are stories and pictures of the com-System Started With LandmunitysGreat Skokie Marsh Once life for 75 years. Here, too, are records of earlierMade From Dredging ofevents: the Mission of the Guardian Angel, the Chrilmette reserva-Blocked Farm and Rest*North Shore Channeltion, the Great Migration from Old Trier to New Trier.dential ExpansionFor Wilmettes history stems not alone from the land grant toThe Wilmette park district owesArchange Ouilmette and the real estate enterprises of Henry A.New Trier, a "fractional" town-its inception to Col. Robert R. Mc-Dingee and John G. Westerfield. It stems also from the communityship of a little over 17 square miles,Cormick, now editor and publisheralongwas organized in 1850. the ridge. Gross Point was settled well over a centuryof the Chicago Tribune.None of the five villages whichThaago, became a village in 1874, and was merged with Wilmettet was the contention of thewere later to spring up in the town-in 1924 and 1926.late Louis K. Gillson, presidentof the board of park commissionersThis is not meant to be a definitive history of the village. EvenWshiiplm (eWttinnetka and Glencoe in 1869,e in 1872, Gross Point in 1874,from 1908 to 1934.this large book does not contain enough space to tell all there isand Kenilworth in 1896) had beenEarly in 1906, the Sanitary Dis-organized. The forest territory alongto be told, and the year which has been devoted to research andtrict of Chicago, with Colonel Mc-the shore was being graduallyCormickwriting has been too short to complete the job. as president, developedcleared for home sites, and alongplans for the districts North ShoreThe History of Wilmette is still to be written.the ridge, farmers were acquiringchannel, harbor basin, and pump-Wilmettetheir holdings. is yet making history. Still a community of homes, iting station at Sheridan road in Wil-* * *metteis within the power of its citizens to keep it so, to plan successfully. The canal was to provideAlong the west edge of theanothefor a better community for ourselves, for our children, for ourr link in the chain of water-waytownship lay the Skokie marsh:s connecting Lake Michiganchildrens children.witin wet weather a large lakeh the Gulf of Mexico. The sani-The purposes of this volume are these: to acquaint the citizenswhose surface was 40 feet abovetary district had just reversed theof the village with something of the story of their community; tothat of Lake Michigan; in dryflow of the Chicago river and itsweather a treacherous mire. Itsouthstimulate interest in that history; to arouse a feeling of civic branch so that they flowedwas a feeding station, springinto the Ship and Sanitary canalpride and responsibiliy; to accelerate the establishment of aand fall, for migrating birds,and thus into the Des Plaines andcommunity historical collection; and to set down, for the histori-and it was a great breedingIllinois rivers, and, by pumpingwateans of the future, some of the great Story of Wilmette.place for mosquitoes.r from the lake up into theNort* * *h Shore channel, that reverseWithout the cooperation of those who recorded the historiesflow was maintained.of the villages civic, philanthropic, and religious organizations;No roads invaded the marsh. Lake * *withouavenue was to skirt it on the south;t the aid of Mrs. John A. Hoffmann, Mrs. Lorin A. Bower,Dundee road on the north; Hibbard"InMrs. William N. Waidner, Paul Nanzig, Nicholas P. Miller, Walter the faU of 1907," Mr. Gill-road on the east.sons account in his "GraphicZibble, and Miss Mary Helen Troy, and many others, this volumeHistoricaWhere Indian Hill estates, Kenil-l Sketch of Progress"would never have been completed.writteworth Gardens, and the western partn in 1934, says, "whileof Kenilworth itself now lie, was, anegotiationWithout the assistance and guidance of Miss Helen Siniff, Jamess were pending rela-century ago, unconquerable wilder-tiveD. W. Kline, and Herbert B. Mulford, it would never have been to the construction of aness.link of the drainage canal tostarted.connecThe Skokie drained into the threet the lake with the northDue and ample credit should be given to Miss Mary Katebranchforks of the north branch of the of the Chicago riverPatterson, who performed much of the research, and to Mrs.andChicago river, but in no season was to pass through WilmetteandRichard Howell, Harvey Steffens, and Tom Kerwin, who took manythe stream adequate to drain away Evanston, Colonel Mc-Cormick delivered an addressof the pictures.the waters.before the Wilmette Mens club.Traditionally* * *, a work of thir character should have someUnder the marsh lie peat bogs.dedication. Let this be it:A long, dry summer spell was"In the course of this address,To those who have handed down to us all the fine and beautifulenough to set them alire, andafter stating the location of thethings of this village; to those who today keep it fine and beautiful;great clouds of smoke wculdchannel it was proposed to exca-rise over the murshes and rollvate, he added that all of the spoilto those who now plan for its future enrichment; to those who willdown on the countryside at theremoved in the work done east olenjoy its life in the days to come; and to all those good citizens who,will of the wind.the North Western railroad wouldhaving an understanding and appreciation of the Spirit of Wilmette,* * *Wbea sdhuinmgptoed into the lake betweennare resolved to transmit this village to others even finer than it avenue and the p; o-Gradually the farm lands en-posed inlet of the canal.mas transmitted to them, this volume is dedicated.croached upon the fringes of themarsh. The Skokie ditch, laier called"It was estimated that therewould be created approximately 22acreLombardwaysthe Kenilworth ditch, wus one of in 1860 and 1861. His son, Dushams of made land, which wouldMaxthe ambitious attempts to drain the, held the same position frombecome the property of the Stateof Illinois.Built1870waters of the Skokie into Lake Michi- to 1877 and from 1880 to 1881. Log CabinJohngan. For the most part, however, L. Dusham, Sr. built a home* * *Onnearthe settlers were able to reclaim the site of the cabin in 1872, the Shore in 18S7yearonly a few acres. after his son, John L., Jr., was"He then suggested that, in-asmuch as the law providedOnborn in the cabin.It was not until the Civilian Con-e of Wilmettes earliest settlersthat unoccupied made landwaThe latter, now retired from theservation crops was organized thats Lombard Dusham, who came toUnited States Steel company, hasany major and comprehensive planlying within the boundaries ofthe area about 1837 and purchasedbeen a life-long resident of the vil-an organized park district might100for the solution of the problem of acres from Antoine Ouilmettelage. He lives at 503 Park avenue.bthe marsh was adopted, althoughe taken possession of by suchjust north of the Ouilmette familydistricMrs. Dusham, the former Missmany far-seeing citizens of the town-t for park purposes, thereservation, at 10 cents an acre.citizens of Wilmette would doLombarElizabeth Neithaver, came to Wil-d Dusham (the name, itwelmette as a girl.Wshiinpn, eitnkcaluding Frank A. Windes of, had been advocating thel to organize such a districtis believed, was originally Duand thus acquire without costCliarmeTheir children are Howard F.,drainage of the Skokie for years.) built himself a log cabinaThe CCC completed its work just substantial site for a park."rear the present intersection of Elm-* * *woobefore World War II and now thedW161il6m Fetotrest avenue; John N., 1622e avenue; Mrs. Katherine and Michigan avenues. HeThorpe, u24 Park avenue; and themarsh has been transformed into aVillagerscleared the land, began farming,, acting on Colonel Mc-late James C. Dusham.series of lagoons set in a park-likeCormickand, two years later, sent for hiss advice, voted to createwifesurrounding.. There his sons, John L. Sr.such a park district in 1908. Theand* * * Max were born.original commissioners were, be-SomThis Isnt Alle of his best corn fields wereCitizens of the then rural town-sides Mr. Gillson, the Rev. E. J.Vattmanalong the lake shorn, although,The 120 pages in this bookship met in April, 1850, at the, David Maney, Horace G.Drurysince there was no beach in thosewerehome of John Garland in what not enough to contain, and P. J. Cuneen.daysis now Winnetka, to organize the, a northeast storm would oftenTheall the stories written for district included all of Wil-new township. As explained else-metttumble large areau ot lard into thee at that time. The western Iv.fiterthis anniversary issue. Ne-where in this issue, they chose. Some nf 1he land was laterboundary was the center line ofsoldthe name "New Trier" because to membeis of the Gage family.cessarily, some of them haveRidge road. In addition, the tri-Fromso many of the inhabitants had Ship Wreckhad to be printed in SectionWaniglmle etatlong the lake shore betweenHcome from old Trier in Germany.e built a. corn crib, so the storyI, the regular edition for thise* * # and Kenilworth, then called |i;tes, from wreckage of the Lady"Oklahoma" and later known as [F.Iginweek, instead of in Section II, which washed ashore.As stated above, the township has"No Mans Land," as well as aLombard Dusham was active inthe part devoted exclusivelyan acea of a little over 17 squareportion of North Evanston were(he early civic life of the townshipto Wilmette history.miles. The Illinois average is about(Continued on Page 116)and served as overseer of high-(Continued on page 116)