Newspaper, section 3 of the Reporter, Saluting Chicago Ridge on its 70th Anniversary, October 25, 1984

              Section 3
An Independent Newspaper
October 25, 1984
Saluting Chicago Ridge on its
Anniversary
CHICAGO RIDGE FIRSTS...
• FIRST SETTLERS... German and
Dutch truck farmers who lived along
the railroad tracks.
• FIRST RAILROAD... The Wabash
• FIRST NAME OF THE SETTLEMENT
..." The Ridge"- so- called after the
Wabash Railroad took eight full
trains of fill from the area to build
up the grounds of the Columbian
Exposition of 1893.
• FIRST SCHOOL... A one- room house
which has been converted into the
home of Thomas Balkas, 10611 S.
Ridgeland.
• FIRST CHURCH... Chicago Ridge
United Presbyterian Church. First
minister: Louis Aronson. The original
church building at 105th St. and Ox-ford
has been sold to the village to
be used as a public works - building.
New Church built at 107th St. and
Lyman Avenue.
• FIRST BUSINESS... Hotel- rooming
house.
• FIRST POST OFFICE. In a factory
later demolished in the early 1920s.
• FIRST ELECTION... put into office a
president, a clerk, a treasurer and
six village trustees. The winning
candidates got 27 men's votes, 20
women's votes. An also- ran had as
his campaign- slogan " Vote for Uns -
and the water Goes Oudt." ( The
Ridge was very, very swam-py...
Chicagoans came out regularly
for duck hunting.)
• FIRST VILLAGE MEETING... was
held in Whorties Hall October 10,
1914. Village officers promised
cinder sidewalks, a police chief, and
a judge.
• FIRST TOWN MARSHAL Of
Record... Arthur Eisler
• FIRST LAMPLIGHTER... Fred
Thomann who received an annual
stipend of $ 12.
theReporter