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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate the citizens of the
4City of Lake Forest on the occasion of the city's 150th
5anniversary; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The rich history of the City of Lake Forest began
7in 1835, when Michael Meehan built his homestead near Old
8Telegraph Road; in 1846, Lake Forest's first post office was
9established near present-day Waukegan Road and Route 60; in
101857, Lind University, which would eventually become Lake
11Forest College, was chartered; and
 
12    WHEREAS, On February 21, 1861, The City of Lake Forest
13received its charter; Harvey M. Thompson was subsequently
14chosen to serve as mayor of Lake Forest; Lake Forest's first
15public elementary school, Quinlan School, was opened at Walnut
16and Washington Roads the following year; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The City of Lake Forest continued to grow steadily
18throughout the late 1800s; in 1894, the first consolidated K-12
19public school in Lake Forest, Central School, opened on
20Illinois Road; in 1895, telephone service was established in
21Lake Forest and the city's first police officer, James Gordon,
22was appointed; by 1896, the Highland Park Electric Light

 

 

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1Company brought electricity to Lake Forest; and
 
2    WHEREAS, In 1898, the Lake Forest City Hall was constructed
3at Deerpath and Forest Avenue; that same year, the City
4established a public library, appointed the first library
5board, and established the Lake Forest Fire Department; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The arrival of the 20th century brought a period
7of robust growth to the City of Lake Forest; in 1917, Market
8Square, called "the first integrated and artfully designed
9shopping center in the country" was completed at a cost of
10$750,000; in 1923, the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Kiwanis Club was
11established; the Deerpath Theater was opened in 1928, followed
12by the construction of the Lake Forest Library in 1931; by
131942, the Lake Forest Hospital was completed; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The City of Lake Forest continued its pattern of
15prosperity in the latter half of the 20th century; the
16provisions for the creation of a Chicago Bears training
17facility at Lake Forest College were finalized in 1981; by
182000, the population of Lake Forest swelled to 20,059; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The City of Lake Forest will celebrate its 150th
20anniversary on February 22, 2011, when the Lake Forest City
21Council will perform a reenactment of the signing of the City
22charter; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The City of Lake Forest and its citizens serve as
2models of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people
3of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
5NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
6we congratulate the citizens of the City of Lake Forest on the
7occasion of the city's 150th anniversary and wish them
8continued success and happiness in the future; and be it
9further
 
10    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11presented to James Cowhey, Mayor of the City of Lake Forest, as
12a symbol of our esteem and respect.