Suburban Growth

Floodwaters engulf a street on the west side
of Winnetka, 1924.

In the wake of the Chicago Fire of 1871 and the booming population of Chicago in the late 19^th century, more residents chose to leave the city for the suburbs.  Railroad transportation made it possible for people to move to the North Shore and commute to Chicago.

With the influx of commuters, the population of villages adjacent to the Skokie Marsh increased rapidly in the last decades of the 19^th century.  Between 1880 and 1900, the population of Winnetka leapt from just over 500 to nearly 2,000 residents.  As the villages grew, development pushed westward, edging closer to the swampland.  Many suburban residents valued the natural beauty of the marsh and wanted it to be preserved.  But most locals saw its floods, fires, and mosquitos as a nuisance that prevented them from enjoying their property and stunted the area’s development.

Smoldering peat fires were a frequent problem during the summer months.  Here, hunters tread carefully through the marsh, 1938.

By the turn of the 20^th century, area residents agreed that something needed to be done about the
Skokie Marsh.