Editing Arlington Heights, Illinois (section)

==History==
Arlington Heights lies mostly in the western part of [[Wheeling Township, Cook County, Illinois|Wheeling Township]], with territory in adjacent [[Elk Grove Township, Cook County, Illinois|Elk Grove]] and [[Palatine Township, Cook County, Illinois|Palatine]] townships, in an area originally notable for the absence of groves and trees.

=== Pre-settlement history ===
The land that is now the Village of Arlington Heights was controlled by the [[Miami people|Miami Confederacy]] (which contained the [[Illinois Confederation|Illini]] and [[Kickapoo people|Kickapoo]] tribes) starting in the early 1680s. The Confederacy was driven from the area by the [[Iroquois]] and [[Meskwaki]] in the early 1700s.

The French-allied [[Potawatomi]] began to raid and take possession of Northern Illinois in the 1700s. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Potawatomi expanded southwards from their territory in Green Bay and westward from their holdings near Detroit, until they controlled in an L-shaped swath of territory from Green Bay to the Illinois River, and from the Mississippi River to the Maumee River.<ref>Margot Stimley, ''The Indians of Northern Illinois'', 1992. Article collected in ''Miscellaneous Arlington Heights History'', ed. Fran Boyd and Joan Huff, 2005.</ref>

Throughout the 1830s, the Potawatomi maintained a camp in modern-day Arlington Heights that was used for six weeks out of the year as the Potawatomi migrated from their summer encampments to their winter encampments.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Stimley |first=Margot |title=Chronicle of a Prairie Town: Arlington Heights, Illinois |publisher=Arlington Heights Historical Society |year=1997}}</ref>

In 1833, the Potawatomi signed the [[1833 Treaty of Chicago]] with the United States Government. As a result of the Treaty, the United States was granted control of all land west of Lake Michigan and east of Lake Winnebago in exchange for a tract of land west of the Mississippi. The land that is now Arlington Heights was ceded to the U.S. in this treaty, which sparked mass white immigration to the Northern Illinois area. The U.S. Government purchased the land for about 15 cents per acre, and then resold it to white settlers for 1.25 dollars per acre.<ref>{{Cite web |title=September 26, 1833 – Treaty of Chicago |url=https://www.fcpotawatomi.com/culture-and-history/treaties/september-26-1833-treaty-of-chicago/ |access-date=May 13, 2022 |website=Forest County Potawatomi |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Potawatomi would occasionally return to their holdings in Northern Illinois to honor their buried ancestors, but these return visits ended as old villages and burial sites were destroyed by settlers to make way for farming.

The descendants of the Potawatomi who once inhabited the land that is now Arlington Heights currently live on [[Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation|a reservation]] in Mayette, Kansas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Official Website of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation |url=https://www.pbpindiantribe.com/ |access-date=May 13, 2022 |website=Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== West Wheeling ===
Many prominent roads in the Arlington Heights area were built on top of Native American trails: Rand Road was built on top of a Native trail which passed by the property of Socrates Rand, who built a tavern near a crossing on the [[Des Plaines River]]. Arlington Heights Road was developed from a Native trail that ran from what was once called Naper Settlement (now [[Naperville, Illinois|Naperville]]) to what was once called Indian Creek (now [[Half Day, Illinois|Half Day]]).

Around the same time, a trading post was established in the Southwest corner of the township by Frederick T. Miner, the cabins established near Miner's trading post came to be known as West Wheeling.

=== Dunton ===
In 1837, Asa Dunton, a settler who built one of the first cabins in what was then known as Deer Grove, registered three land claims for himself and two sons in the land in the west of [[Wheeling Township, Cook County, Illinois|Wheeling Township]].

In 1845, Asa's eldest son, William Dunton, married Almeda Wood and brought her to the house he built beside the Potawatomi trail which then became known as Dunton's Road (and is now known as Arlington Heights Road). West Wheeling then became known as Dunton. The town's name changed several times before it officially became known as Arlington Heights in 1874.<ref name=":0" />

William Dunton persuaded the [[Union Pacific Railroad|Illinois & Wisconsin Railroad]] company to build track through his property. In 1853, Dunton sold 16 acres of his land to the company for $350. The first Dunton train station was built in 1854. The construction of the railroad helped to expand the population of Dunton, as it was easier for settlers to reach the village. [[File:Banta, Nathaniel Moore House (Arlington Heights, IL) 02.JPG|thumb|left|The [[Nathaniel Moore House]] is on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].]]
By 1850, the area had largely changed its ethnic composition, as many [[Germans|German]] farmers from [[Saxony]] had arrived during the 1840s. John Klehm might serve as an example; he was at first a potato farmer, supplying the Chicago market, and in 1856 began a nursery for cherry, apple, and pear trees, later moving into spruce, maple, and elm, and then flowers. By the late 1850s the area had become noted for its [[truck farm]]s, sending dairy products as well as vegetables to Chicago on the railroad.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Klehm, John Adam |url=https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/narlingto04/id/400 |access-date=May 13, 2022 |website=Illinois Digital Archives |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240318205232/https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/narlingto04/id/400 |archive-date= March 18, 2024 }}</ref>

During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], [[Chicago]] experienced a population boom, and many migrants moved to villages surrounding Chicago such as Dunton. Dunton also saw an influx of German immigration By the 1870s, Dunton's population had surpassed 1200.

=== The Civil War ===
Several Dunton residents served in the Civil War, however only three of those residents who left for the war returned. One of the survivors, a recently naturalized Alsatian named Charles Sigwalt (namesake of Sigwalt Street), fought at the [[Battle of Chickamauga]] and the [[Battle of Kennesaw Mountain]].<ref name="Sigwalt, Charles">{{Cite web |title=Sigwalt, Charles |url=https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/narlingto04/id/2312/ |access-date=May 13, 2022 |website=Illinois Digital Archives |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129085332/https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/narlingto04/id/2312/ |archive-date= November 29, 2022 }}</ref>

Warren Kennicott (namesake of Kennicott Avenue) was killed in action at the [[Battle of Gettysburg]].

During the Civil War, Arlington Heights was a stop for many Union soldiers travelling South to fight the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] or traveling North to fight in the [[Dakota War of 1862|Dakota War]].<ref name=":0" />

=== Arlington Heights ===
Dunton slowly grew after the Civil War, acquiring a [[blacksmith]], a cheese factory, a hardware store, and a hotel. In 1874, the town's name was officially changed to Arlington Heights.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Glimpse of History |url=http://www.vah.com/our_community/about_arlington_heights/glimpse_of_history |access-date=May 13, 2022 |website=Village of Arlington Heights |language=en-US |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129180420/http://www.vah.com/our_community/about_arlington_heights/glimpse_of_history |archive-date= November 29, 2022 }}</ref>

In 1878, Civil War veteran Charles Sigwalt and his brother John founded the Sigwalt Sewing Machine Company, which made 40,000 machines from the period of 1878 to 1883. The company was destroyed by a fire in 1895.<ref name="Sigwalt, Charles"/>

Arlington Heights was an early [[commuter suburb]].

=== Religious heritage ===
The town developed religious institutions that reflected the origins of its citizens. The first churches were [[Presbyterian]] (1856) and [[Methodist]] (1858), with St. Peter Lutheran Church, a German [[Lutheran]] church, following in 1860. Today, the village has many [[Roman Catholics]], boasting three very large churches: St. James (founded 1902—now home to 4,600 registered families), St. Edna (2,800 registered families), and Our Lady of the Wayside (3,100 registered households), in addition to several large Lutheran churches, Evangelicals and several other Protestant churches, including two [[United Church of Christ|United Churches of Christ]], an [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]] and a [[Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)]].

===Arlington Park Racetrack===
[[File:Race track - panoramio.jpg|thumb|left|Grandstand at Arlington Park Race Track]]

By the start of the 20th century Arlington Heights had about 1,400 inhabitants, and it continued to grow slowly with a good many farms and [[greenhouse]]s after [[World War II]]. By then Arlington Heights was also known for [[Arlington Park]], a racetrack founded in 1927 by the California millionaire Harry D. "Curly" Brown upon land formerly consisting of 12 farms. Camp McDonald and two country clubs were founded in the 1930s. On July 31, 1985, a fire burned down the [[grandstand]]. The current six-story grandstand was completed and opened for use June 28, 1989.

In February 2021, the track's owners, [[Churchill Downs Inc.]], announced that they would sell the site for redevelopment, which would draw in many new developers.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-arlington-park-up-for-sale-churchill-downs-20210223-ju2zrmncvzaxlltf4t23654q64-story.html |title=Arlington Park horse racing track is up for sale |last=Heinzmann |first=David |date=February 23, 2021 |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=June 23, 2021}}</ref> In June 2021, the [[Chicago Bears]] of the [[National Football League]] emerged as prospective buyers of Arlington Park, raising speculation that they would leave [[Soldier Field]] (their current home stadium in downtown Chicago) and build a new stadium on the site, either alongside or directly atop the track.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2021/6/17/22538681/bears-arlington-heights-park-bid-plans-chicago |title=Bears Submit Bid for Land in Arlington Heights as Potential New Stadium Site |last=Lieser |first=Jason |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=June 17, 2021 |access-date=June 23, 2021}}</ref> On September 29, 2021, the Bears and Churchill Downs reached a $197.2 million purchase and sell agreement for the property where the new stadium would be built.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32304556/chicago-bears-sign-purchase-agreement-churchill-downs-inc-326-acre-arlington-park-property |title=Chicago Bears Move Closer to Leaving Soldier Field, Sign Purchase Agreement for Arlington Park Property |last=Dickerson |first=Jeff |date=September 29, 2021 |website=espn.com}}
</ref><ref name="2025-03-04-abc7chi">{{cite web |title=Arlington Heights board moving forward with plan to lure Bears; Palatine paying close attention
|url=https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-bears-stadium-news-arlington-heights-board-moving-forward-plan-lure-team/15975792/ |access-date=2025-03-14
|first=John |last=Garcia |publisher=[[WLS-TV]] |website=abc7chicago.com |date=March 4, 2025}}
</ref>

===Population increase===
A population explosion took place in the 1950s and 1960s, when the spread of automobile ownership, together with the expansion of the Chicago-area economy, the [[baby boom]], and [[white flight]] from the city, drove the number of people in Arlington Heights—expanded by a series of [[annexation]]s—up to 64,884 by 1970. By then virtually all the available land had been taken up, and the formerly isolated depot stop found itself part of a continuous built-up area stretching from [[Lake Michigan]] to the [[Fox River (Illinois River tributary)|Fox River]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/68.html |first=Buisseret |last=David |title=Arlington Heights, IL |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021143624/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/68.html |archive-date=October 21, 2008 |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Chicago]] |access-date=November 12, 2008}}</ref>

===''Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp''===
''[[Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp.]]'', 429 U.S. 252 (1977), was a [[United States Supreme Court]] case about [[housing discrimination]]. The case involved an Arlington Heights [[zoning board]] decision denying a [[zoning variance]] to build a [[multi-family housing]] complex on property owned by the [[Clerics of St. Viator]] near [[Saint Viator High School]]. The Village argued that the zoning board blocked construction to "protect property values and the integrity of the Village's zoning plan," which only allowed [[single-family homes]] in the neighborhood. The developer argued that the intent and practical effect of preventing the development was to maintain [[racial segregation]]. The Court held that the ordinance was constitutional because there was no proof that "discriminatory purpose was a motivating factor in the Village's decision."<ref name="Justia">{{ussc|name=Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp.|volume=429|page=252|pin=|year=1977}}.</ref>