HR0316 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0316 LRB103 31682 ECR 60208 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Hinsdale is a commuter village along the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad that roughly encompasses the area between Kingery Highway, 59th Street, Interstate 294, and Ogden Avenue; and

WHEREAS, Hinsdale sits on elevated prairie land and has a valley running east to west that splits Hinsdale's morainic hills, some of which rise to over 70 feet above Lake Michigan; and

WHEREAS, Shortly after the Black Hawk War ended in 1833, a settlement developed north of present-day Hinsdale in an area along the Old Plank Road, or Ogden Avenue, near the banks of Salt Creek; and

WHEREAS, This area, known as Brush Hill for its abundance of hazelnut bushes, grew into a thriving community of taverns, mills, and feed stores; by 1851, Ben Fuller had acquired most of Brush Hill, which he platted and renamed Fullersburg; and

WHEREAS, In 1858, Ben Fuller petitioned the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad to build a line through Fullersburg; because of topographical problems, however, the line was built one mile south through Hinsdale's valley instead; and

WHEREAS, The tracks through Hinsdale were completed on May 20, 1864, and William Robbins hired landscaper H. W. S. Cleveland to plat the village south of the tracks; the village was platted in 1865, and a school was built the following year; and

WHEREAS, Hinsdale was incorporated on April 1, 1873 with Judge Joel Tiffany as its first president; the Hinsdale Library Association was incorporated in 1887; during the 1890s, the village installed a water pumping station, wood and brick-paved roads in 1892, electric streetlights in 1896, and a telephone exchange in 1896, and the Hinsdale Golf Club set up links on Anson Ayres' property; and

WHEREAS, The Hinsdale Sanitarium was started in 1903; improvements to the town in the 1920s included Ruth Lake Country Club in 1922, the Madison school in 1924, and the Hinsdale Theater in 1925; the Woodlands, an area east of County Line Road, was annexed in 1917, and Fullersburg was annexed in 1923; and

WHEREAS, In 1924, the Hinsdale Plan Commission was formed to consider zoning ordinances; the colonial-style Memorial Building, which today houses village offices, was built in 1928 and funded entirely by private donations; and

WHEREAS, From 1960 to 1975, Hinsdale arrived at its present borders by means of eight different annexations; in 1975 Hinsdale annexed Katherine Legge Memorial Park, which had been donated to the village by International Harvester; and

WHEREAS, Since the 1980s, Hinsdale has restored many of its historic structures, and builders have been encouraged to use the Georgian style of colonial architecture in keeping with the Hinsdale Plan of early civic leaders; and

WHEREAS, Today, Hinsdale, located just 20 miles west of downtown Chicago, offers natural beauty, hometown charm, and a friendly community atmosphere and serves as an ideal base for commerce, education, and suburban living; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the 150th anniversary of the Village of Hinsdale's incorporation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Village of Hinsdale as a symbol of our esteem and respect.