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92_HR0429
LRB9209026RHrh
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, It has come to our attention that the village of
3 Winthrop Harbor is celebrating its centennial anniversary on
4 July 13, 2001; and
5 WHEREAS, Before 1835, the territory that would soon
6 become Winthrop Harbor was considered Indian Territory,
7 controlled by the Illinois, Winnebago, Wyendot, and
8 Pottawatomi tribes; in that same year, Nelson Landon and
9 Jeremiah Stowell sailed across Lake Michigan and arrived at
10 Pike Creek, now Kenosha, in search of good land in the South;
11 they discovered an area at present day 13th Street and
12 Sheridan Road where they erected a 12'x 12' log cabin and set
13 out their claims; and
14 WHEREAS, At one time, Winthrop Harbor was covered by
15 "Lake Chicago"; the lake level was about 60 feet higher than
16 at present; the area is also a diversified plant area where
17 many species of plants can be found; and
18 WHEREAS, In 1862, the area was a French possession, a
19 part of Louisiana and a dependency of Canada; the British won
20 the area in 1785 and lost it in 1779 when they were defeated
21 by Colonel George Rogers Clark; it then became part of
22 Virginia; at the end of the revolution, the territory became
23 part of the Northwest Territory and
24 WHEREAS, Benton Township was organized in 1950; it had
25 the population between 98 and 156 from 1856 to 1900 and was
26 considered "Strictly rural"; at this time there was no
27 Winthrop Harbor, it was known as Spring Bluff; and
28 WHEREAS, Sheridan Road in 1871 was an Indian trail known
29 as Sand Road, Ridge Road, or Sand Ridge Road; it later became
30 Green Bay Road and later its present Sheridan Road; by 1877
31 Spring Bluff boasted a railroad station, a post office, a
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1 stage depot, a cheese factory, a brick kiln, a blacksmith, a
2 feed store, and a few homes; and
3 WHEREAS, During the Chicago World's Fair, land
4 speculators brought people by train to Spring Bluff to buy
5 lots for $5 each; and
6 WHEREAS, In 1894, Spring Bluff was officially renamed as
7 Winthrop Harbor; its name is derived from the Winthrop Harbor
8 & Dock Company that bought the 2,700 acres of land for
9 development; the village of Winthrop Harbor was incorporated
10 on July 13, 1901; and
11 WHEREAS, In 1899, the very first industry was
12 established; Simpson Manufacturing Company was built on the
13 North Side of Main Street, east of the Northwestern tracks;
14 soon afterwards, the Western Telephone Construction Company
15 came to town; by 1900 the Nienaber Hotel was located at 601
16 Sheridan Road; and
17 WHEREAS, In 1902, the first Village hall was built on
18 Main Street between College and Kirkwood Avenues; the
19 Chicago, Waukegan, and North Shore Electric Railroad began to
20 operate in 1909; in 1885, the first school was located at the
21 southwest corner of Ninth Street and Sheridan Road and by
22 1902 a new, four room brick school was built at 628 College
23 Avenue; and
24 WHEREAS, In 1918, Sheridan Road became a two-lane
25 highway; and
26 WHEREAS, In 1930, the Depression left the Village an
27 industrial wasteland in which all the buildings east of the
28 Chicago and Northwestern railroad tracks were torn down; and
29 WHEREAS, The area east of the Chicago and Northwestern
30 railroad tracks between State Line and Third Street was
31 called "The Marsh" where many families lived and trapped as
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1 late as the 1950s; another area that was popular with the
2 residents was known as "Skunk Hollow", which is located along
3 Kellogg Creek west of Sheridan Road; and
4 WHEREAS, The "Old Red Barn" which had been located on
5 Sheridan Road was built prior to 1880; it was known as the
6 Village's first business selling feed and building materials;
7 during Prohibition, a "Blind Pig", or illegal tavern, was
8 operated in the basement; the alley behind it was known as
9 "Hank's Red Barn", which was a pig slaughtering operation;
10 and
11 WHEREAS, The Village's first brick building was on Main
12 Street at the intersection of Fulton Avenue; it contained
13 flats, offices, a tavern, pool hall, post office and a
14 grocery; and
15 WHEREAS, In addition, other industries that have set up
16 shop in the Winthrop Harbor area have produced brick forming
17 and handling machinery, world famous and the largest ditching
18 machinery, telephone boxes and switchboards, carburators,
19 steam boilers for boats, fireworks, cement mixers, trucks and
20 cars, movable rifle targets, and safes and locks; and
21 WHEREAS, The village of Winthrop Harbor has been a part
22 of a very rich and lively history dating back to 1835; the
23 village has sustained many changes since its incorporation
24 but continues to remain dedicated to the citizens of the
25 State of Illinois; therefore, be it
26 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
27 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
28 we congratulate the village of Winthrop Harbor on the
29 celebration of the centennial anniversary of its
30 incorporation as a village; and be it further
31 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
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1 presented to the village of Winthrop Harbor as an expression
2 of our esteem.