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City of Des Plaines history
City of Des Plaines company history timeline
Following the Treaty of Chicago in 1833, pioneers from New England and New York began farming the prairie that would eventually become Des Plaines.
After federal surveyors mapped Maine Township in 1841, more farmers as well as land speculators.
Constructed by the railroad developers in 1852 to cut ties from the forested belt of burr oak and hickory along the river, the mill was later purchased by Socrates Rand who converted it to a grist mill.
The Illinois & Wisconsin Railroad (later known as the Chicago & North Western Railway) came through Des Plaines in 1854 with a depot located near the river.
In 1857, when the Chicago, St Paul and Fond du lac Railroad introduced daily train service between Janesville and Chicago, a subdivision plat was recorded for the "Town of Rand," named for Socrates Rand, one of the first settlers in the area.
The Des Plaines Methodist Camp Ground, established in 1860, drew Methodists from across the region.
Inc. village, 1869; reinc.
The station was named Des Plaines, and the community incorporated as Des Plaines in 1869.
In 1873 the settlement was incorporated as a village.
Known in 1881 as Farwell, Illinois, Orchard Place developed simultaneously with Des Plaines and Riverview until much of it was razed during construction of the Northwest Tollway.
The first Village Hall is on the corner, originally built in 1893.
The first steel bridge crossed the river in 1900.
You can also see the original water tower, built in 1903, electric traffic control systems, and various stores.
The Des Plaines Women’s Club partnered with the village government to receive a Carnegie grant to start the Des Plaines Public Library in 1907.
In 1918 Cook County's Forest Preserve District created favorable water levels for boating, swimming, and fishing by constructing a dam two miles north of Des Plaines.
The citizens decided by referendum to establish the Des Plaines Park District in 1919.
Des Plaines was a thriving community when, in 1925, voters approved a proposal to adopt the present city form of government, with H.T. Bennet as the first mayor.
The opening of the Illinois Waterway in 1933 allowed modern barge traffic to pass between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.
Orchard Place was added in 1949, with adjacent land becoming part of O'Hare International Airport.
In 1955 Des Plaines became home to the McDonald's Corporation's first restaurant.
Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines in 1955; it has been rebuilt as a museum.
The city annexed the Orchard Place area in 1956.
The community welcomed Oakton Community College in 1969.
Population reached 57,239 in 1970 and declined to about 53,000 in the following two decades.
The main campus of Oakton Community College was moved to the city in 1980.
By 2000 the population had grown to 58,720, with 17 percent Hispanic, 8 percent Asian, and 1 percent African American.
TeaLula has been the premiere provider of loose leaf teas to the community since 2008.
from 'Indagare Magazine Fall/Winter 2018'
from 'Connecticut Food & Farm Magazine, Winter 2019, Volume 15'
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City of Des Plaines competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Village of Mount Prospect | 1917 | $5.4M | 350 | 3 |
| City of Elmhurst | 1882 | $1.0M | 49 | 3 |
| City of Naperville | 1831 | $62.0M | 546 | 8 |
| City of Evanston | 1863 | $580,000 | 50 | 59 |
| City of Elgin | - | $11.0M | 350 | 8 |
| City of Park Ridge | - | $4.5M | 350 | - |
| City of Ridgeland | - | $2.4M | 75 | 3 |
| City of Dayton | 1805 | $36.0M | 964 | 31 |
| Village of Bloomingdale | - | $480,000 | 50 | - |
| City of Capitola | - | $740,000 | 50 | 1 |
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