Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0358

HR0358 LRB104 13661 ECR 26316 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the Village of Riverside on the occasion of its 150th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, The area now known as Riverside was originally home to diverse Native American communities long before the arrival of European explorers and traders; and

WHEREAS, In the 1820s, the Riverside area served as a major trading post due to its proximity to the Chicago Portage and the Portage Trail, and the location welcomed many settlers from the 1830s to the 1860s; and

WHEREAS, The Riverside Improvement Company hired Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux to prepare a town plan for the area along the bend of the Des Plaines River in 1869; and

WHEREAS, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux conceived the General Plan of Riverside, which the Riverside Improvement Company quickly began implementing; and

WHEREAS, The residents of unincorporated Riverside determined that a proper village government was necessary to complete the General Plan of Riverside and to provide essential public services for their new town, and the 29 residents of Riverside voted to officially incorporate the Village of Riverside as a municipality of the State of Illinois on August 8, 1875; and

WHEREAS, Riverside's incorporation was a pivotal moment that established the village as an independent municipal entity with its own governing structure and the ability to implement local ordinances, manage public services, and preserve and grow the community's unique character; and

WHEREAS, Due to the volunteer efforts of Riverside residents for the past 150 years, the essence of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux's General Plan remains intact, with the village still consisting of expansive green parkways and public spaces, gas-lit street lanterns, and curvilinear streets; as a result, the village has enjoyed a National Historic Landmark designation since 1970; and

WHEREAS, Riverside is celebrating its 150th anniversary of incorporation in 2025, presenting an occasion to celebrate the past, acknowledge the present, and envision a bright future for generations to come; and

WHEREAS, Through celebrating this sesquicentennial anniversary, the residents of the Village of Riverside have been given the opportunity to honor the legacy of Riverside, to honor the 19th-century volunteers who understood the necessity and benefits of self-government, and to honor 20th and 21st-century volunteers who have continued to preserve and respect the village; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Village of Riverside on the occasion of its sesquicentennial anniversary; and be it further

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