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History of Skokie and its
Founders
In 1637 Marquette and Joliet were
the first white men to set foot in the region of Niles Township. At
that time the Potawatomi Indians lived in this territory. Their
chief, Chief Matea signed a treaty in 1821 giving all the territory
of the Chicago Region to the white men.
In 1821, a bachelor of Irish
origin, named O'Brien, came to Skokie and built a small log cabin
where the home of Mrs. Clara Blameuser ( Northeast corner of Oakton
Street at Niles Avenue) now stands. This home is one of the
landmarks of Skokie and is situated across from the Skokie Library (
formerly at 4800 Oakton Street). It is claimed by some that he was
the first white man to live in this region.
More and more people came to
Skokie in 1830. There were the Schnidges, the Perrens, the Clarks,
and the Jeffersons (the same family the town of Jefferson is named
after). The Ebingers, Browns, Heslingtons, Odells and Cranes were
also among the early settlers. One man who became well known was
John Miller who set up the first saw mill in the vicinity. Because
the majority of people who came to Skokie were of German origin, the
town became known as Dutchman's Point.
Another early settler arrived in
the year of 1834. He was called Wrong Way Ruland. He was on his way
to Chicago by boat, and due to the error of the boat's Captain was
let off the boat before his chosen destination. He eventually
wandered into Skokie where he lived in a small dug out for a short
time.
In the 1840's people began coming
to the open stretch of land which was called East Prairie. They were
the Podgers, Hoffmans, Schwarzs, Rueschers, and the Finkes. The year
of 1845 brought George Proessel and Wolfgand Harrer. Most of these
early settlers built their own homes.
The year of 1844 brought Nicholas
Meyer to Skokie. He lived here but a short time when he left to go
into business in Chicago. His business was destroyed by the Chicago
Fire in 1871, and he came back to Skokie to live.
Immigration of people from Europe
continued, and many found their way into Skokie, which was known as
Niles Center. There are still people today who refer to Skokie as
Niles Center. In 1848 Ernest Galitz came from Perania, and George
Gabel left his home in Wittenberg, Germany to make his home in
Skokie. Doctor Theodore Hoffman from Wesstphalia, Germany and
settled here in 1849. He was a physician and practiced medicine
until his death in 1861.
Henry Harms came to Skokie in 1855
and built a home where the Village Hall now stands. In 1858 he
started a general store in his home and in 1860 he opened a new
store he built in front of his home.
Another new comer was Peter
Bergman, who in the year of 1857 built a small house. He also had a
general store in his home which he kept for six or eight months. He
then built his own store, which he later sold to Peter Blameuser who
made it into a saloon. A. J. Snell also built a small home in 1857,
and George Kay built a two-story brick house in the same year. Some
of the aforementioned settlers have descendants living in Skokie
today.
In 1850 there were enough people
living in Skokie to incorporate. Skokie was the first village in
Niles Township to incorporate. The boundaries of the village were:
Main Street on the north, Howard Street on the south, Cicero on the
east, and Long Avenue on the west. Adam Harrer was the first
President of the Village, and meetings were held in the Fire Station
until 1927 when the Village Hall was built.
In 1854 John Ahrens came from
Mecklenburg, Germany. George Conrad arrived from Deudelshum
Hesse-Darmstade, Germany. He taught school in the country in 1860
and later started a dry goods and grocery store which he later sold
to Peter Blameuser, Sr. who came from Prussia to Skokie in 1865. He
purchased 185 acres of land in the heart of the village after he had
been here a few years.
John Brown, the first mayor of
Skokie, was born in Bavaria and came here in 1867. Ivan Paroubek was
a harness maker in Bohemia. He came to Skokie in 1869 and set up a
small business.
In the year of 1861 Abraham
Lincoln appointed Henry Harms to draft soldiers for the Union Army
during the Civil War. On February 10, 1863 Harms was made Postmaster
of Niles Center. The Post Office was discontinued on February 20,
1873, and then re-established on April 4, 1873. In 1930 quarters
were furnished on the west-side of Lincoln Avenue. In 1942 the Post
Office was moved to Oakton Street where it shared a building with
the library until 1952 when it moved to its present location on
Lincoln Avenue. It received third class rating on October 1, 1922,
second class ratingon July 1, 1930,and first class rating on July 1,
1945.
The first school was Fairview
which opened in 1863. It was replaced in 1864 and a second story was
later added. The building was discontinued for school use in 1941
when the pupils were sent to Lincoln School.
The first church was St. Peter's
Evangelical Lutheran Church, started in 1865. The Reverend E.
Reuchus was its first minister. It had thirty-five members to start.
The church was interrupted by the Civil War and was later resumed in
1867, when they built a new building with a school for 80 pupils.
The church was then split to form the St. Paul's Evangelical
Lutheran Church in 1861 and was led by Reverend Adam Detzer. Three
fourths of the members were from the St. Peter's Evangelical
Lutheran Church. A school was started in October 1881 with 80
pupils.
St. Peter's Catholic Church was
built in 1868 nd led by Reverend Joseph Beineke, the membership
numbered 35. In 1873 a school was added.
On November 23, 1870 A. Louise
Klehm was born. She later became a doctor and was on the staff of
St. Frances Hospital from the day it was founded until she retired.
She also founded Niles Center Woman's Club.
In 1872 the "Iron Horse" went
through Niles Center; it was the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul
Railroad.
In 1880 Peter Blameuser formed the
Farmers Market on Market Street; (known now as Warren Avenue) it was
s big open market where people from all over came to trade on week
ends.
The Fire Department was organized
on March 6, 1881; it was a simple volunteer bucket brigade. In 1887
a fire house was built at 8031 Floral Avenue and the building still
stands today. A second fire house was built in 1943 and is manned
full time.
In 1898 Lincoln School was built
on Niles Center Road, a half block south of Main Street. It was
discontinued in 1928 when a new Lincoln School was built on its
present location. The old school was torn down in 1939.
Before Niles Center (Skokie) had a
high school the pupils were sent to New Trier, Evanston, Senn, Lane
Tech. or Schurz high schools. The tuition was paid by the school
districts. In 1931 Lincoln School was changed into a high school and
had its first class of freshmen students. In 1932 it offered a
second year course; in 1933 a third year couse, and by 1936 it
offered a full four year course to its students. The first
graduating class from N.T.H.S. was in 1937, and in that same year
the new building started. Classes began in it in 1939.
On October 17, 1907 Niles Center
State Bank was organized under Peter Hoffman who was then Coroner of
Cook County. The bank rented the frame building at Lincoln and
Oakton and its new location is just across the street from the old
one.
1910 was the year of the big fire.
The day was windy, and the fall season had been dry and the fire
spread wildly. Oddly enough it started in a barn just as the Chicago
Fire. The Fire Department bucket brigade was helpless to stop the
quickly spreading fire. Soon help came from Morton Grove, Niles,
Evanston and Chicago. The fire had started at noon but it was not
until late the next day that the fire was controlled.
The day that the fire started was
Market Day and the town was full of people, many of them strangers.
As it often happens looting took place, possessions that were
brought into the street were taken, and drawers of chests were
ransacked. George Klehm, who was then Mayor, started deputizing men
immediately to keep law and order.
One good thing that came out of
the fire was a water and sewage system from Chicago.
In 1910 the Telephone office and
Exchange were installed at 5239 Galitz in the home of Mrs. John
Kindt.
In 1922 the first paper was
published under the name of The Press. It was later changed in 1925
to The News.
In 1924 elevated lines were
installed, cement streets and sidewalks were laid. The town was
growing.
On September 10, 1937 the
Telephone Building was erected.
In 1928 the Park District was
formed.
The first Home Show was held in
1928.
Sharp Corner School opened with
three class rooms. College Hill School was built but financial
troubles set in and Evanston took it over. Cleveland School opened
in 1930 with 84 pupils. East Prairie's present building was built in
1923.
In 1930 the Library was started by
the Cosmos Club of Niles Center. The Library was in the small rooms
above the Oakton Drug Store (8000 Lincoln Avenue) and had a thousand
books. It was run by volunteer service. Mayor Brown gave the Library
room in the Village Hall. In February of 1942 the Library moved to
its present location (4800 Oakton Street).
After being a village for fifty
years some of the people thought the name of the town should be
changed from Niles Center to some other name. The old-timers
objected to any change and it was put to a vote with the name Niles
Center winning. The village council was responsible in the change of
the name to Skokie. Skokie is the Potawatomi name for swamp, and
that is what the Indians had called this region.Not Dated - No
Author
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