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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE VILLAGE OF BERKELEY, ILLINOIS ON THEIR CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY
WHEREAS, the Village of Berkeley was incorporated in 1924; and
WHEREAS, present day Berkeley is located on the western edge of Cook County about 14 miles west of downtown Chicago; and
WHEREAS, this was the land of the Potawatomi in the 1800s. The Chicago Treaty signed on September 26, 1833 opened this property and much of Wisconsin and Michigan for sale by the United States Government; and
WHEREAS, the first settlers, mostly German and Dutch with names like Bohlander, Diebert, Glos, Fippenger and Darmstadt, arrived around 1835. They established farms and helped each other through the hard times; and
WHEREAS, the oldest home in Berkeley was built in 1889; and
WHEREAS, the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railroad (interurban) opened in 1902, providing the area with its first passenger rail service at Berkeley. Subdivisions were made in 1908 and again in 1914-1915 introduced new residential buildings and new inhabitants to the region, who were mostly English. Berkeley became a village in 1924, thanks to the efforts of these people; and
WHEREAS, post-World War II, the population in Berkeley tripled from 1,882 in 1950 to 5,792 in 1960; and
WHEREAS, in the 1960s, Berkeley bought property from the railroad to stretch its northern borders, enabling for the development of a small industrial park; and
WHEREAS, in 1974, on the village's 50th anniversary, Berkeley resident and historian Rosmarie Johnson published "From Oats to Roses - A History of Berkeley", telling the story of the founding and first decades of the village. This book was published by the Friends of Berkeley Library in celebration of Berkeley's Golden Anniversary; and
WHEREAS, Berkeley recently dug up the time capsule from the Golden Anniversary in 1974 and will be burying a new capsule to be opened in 2074; and
WHEREAS, into the 1980s and 1990s through today, Berkeley's population and diversity grew, as L...
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