History
Photos on this page are courtesy of the Historical Society
 The Des Plaines River Valley was occupied by the
Potawatomi, Ottawa, and Chippewa Indians immediately prior to the
arrival of the first settlers from the East during the second
quarter of the nineteenth century. Following the Treaty of
Chicago in 1833, pioneers from new England and New York began
farming the prairie that would eventually become Des Plaines.
German immigrants, seeking economic and political freedom, arrived
in the area in large numbers during the 1840's and 1850's.
German was the second language in many Des Plaines homes and
churches.
 The present site of Des Plaines was determined during the
1850's by the Illinois and Wisconsin Land Company, a group of land
speculators engaged in building a railroad from Chicago to
Janesville, Wisconsin. 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 CSP & FDL Railroad which was purchased by the
Chicago and North Western in 1859, named its station here "Des
Plaines" and, in 1869, the name of the subdivision was changed to
correspond with the name of the station.
The Village of Des Plaines was incorporated in 1869 and the
federal census of the following year shows that the village had
grown to a population of 800. Des Plaines was reincorporated
in 1873 and was officially organized in 1874 with the election of
the first village board. Franklin Whitcomb, a local brick
manufacturer, was the first Village President.
 In
addition to the railroad, local farmers were drawn to the steam
powered grist mill next to the Des Plaines River in what is now
downtown Des Plaines. 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 purchased by Socrates Rand who
converted it to a grist mill. It has since been demolished.
The downtown business area of Des Plaines began to grow on either
side of the tracks near the mill and at that point where trains
would naturally stop to take on water.
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. During the same year the
Village of Riverview, to the south of Des Plaines, was annexed,
adding land for industry and homes.
The city annexed the Orchard Place area in 1956. 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.
Following World War II, movement of people from Chicago, plus the
development of Chicago-O'Hare International Airport at Orchard
Place, signaled a great period of growth for Des Plaines.
Population jumped from pre-war nine thousand to over fifty thousand.
Over thirty churches representing every major denomination are now
in the City. Additionally, the City's elementary and secondary
schools are nationally acclaimed. The art and theater guilds,
the community concert series, a fine public library system, and a
historical museum are true indications of the cultural growth of the
community. A progressive park district accommodates the
recreational needs of all ages.
During the past two decades industrial growth has also been
phenomenal, the City having become a raw materials an finished
products distributing center, as well as the headquarters of several
major corporations. The combination of superior air
transportation, good railroads, and a network of expressways have
fostered the full development of Des Plaines. Today, Des
Plaines is indeed a progressive city characterized by fine
residences, industrial opportunities, and an abundance of business
and trade facilities.
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