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==History== [[File:Illinois - Edwardsville through Grand Tower - NARA - 23939851 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Evanston as seen in 1919]] [[File:Evanston Skyline 4.JPG|thumb|Downtown Evanston as seen in October 2005]] Prior to the 1830s, the area now occupied by Evanston was mainly uninhabited, consisting largely of wetlands and swampy forest. However, [[Potawatomi]] Native Americans used trails along higher lying ridges that ran in a general north–south direction through the area, and had at least some semi-permanent settlements along the trails. French explorers referred to the general area as "Grosse Pointe" after a point of land jutting into Lake Michigan about {{convert|13|mi|0}} north of the mouth of the [[Chicago River]]. After the first non-Native Americans settled in the area in 1836, the names "Grosse Point Territory" and "Gross Point voting district" were used through the 1830s and 1840s, although the territory had no defined boundaries.<ref name="Currey-ISHS">{{Cite book | last1 = Illinois State Historical Society | last2 = Currey | first2 = Seymour | title = Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society for the year 1908 | chapter = Chicago's North Shore | publisher = Illinois State Historical Library | year = 1909 | location = Springfield, Illinois | pages = 101–109 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-EXWAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA109 | access-date = August 26, 2010 | archive-date = September 30, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230930085403/https://books.google.com/books?id=-EXWAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA109#v=onepage&q&f=false | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="LWV">{{cite book |title=This is Evanston |publisher=League of Women Voters of Evanston |year=2000 |isbn=0-9676994-0-1 |url=http://www.lwve.org/pdf/Complete-ThisIsEvanston.pdf |access-date=February 6, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325113813/http://www.lwve.org/pdf/Complete-ThisIsEvanston.pdf |archive-date=March 25, 2009 |pages= 8–18}}</ref> The area remained only sparsely settled, supporting some farming and lumber activity on some of the higher ground, as well as a number of taverns or "hotels" along the ridge roads. Grosse Pointe itself steadily eroded into the lake during this period. In 1850, a [[Civil township|township]] called [[Ridgeville Township, Illinois|Ridgeville]] was organized, extending from [[Graceland Cemetery]] in Chicago to the southern edge of the [[Antoine Ouilmette|Ouilmette Reservation]], along what is now [[Central Street (Evanston, Illinois)|Central Street]], and from Lake Michigan to [[Western Avenue (Chicago)|Western Avenue]] in Chicago. The 1850 census shows a few hundred settlers in this township,<ref name="LWV"/> and a post office with the name of Ridgeville was established at one of the taverns. However, no municipality yet existed. In 1851, a group of [[Methodism|Methodist]] business leaders founded [[Northwestern University]] and [[Garrett Biblical Institute]]. Unable to find available land on the north shore up to Lake Forest, the committee was ready to purchase farmland to the west of the city when [[Orrington Lunt]] insisted on one final visit to the present location.<ref name="The Story of Evanston">{{cite book |last=Willard |first=Frances|author-link=Frances Willard |date=1891 |title=A Classic Town: The Story of Evanston |publisher=Woman's Temperance Publishing Association |edition=1st |url=https://archive.org/details/aclassictownsto00willgoog |page=[https://archive.org/details/aclassictownsto00willgoog/page/n27 19] |access-date=February 17, 2006}}</ref> They chose a bluffed and wooded site along the lake as Northwestern's home, purchasing several hundred acres of land from John Foster, a Chicago farm owner. In 1854, the founders of Northwestern submitted to the county judge their plans for a city to be named Evanston after [[John Evans (Colorado governor)|John Evans]],<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n121 122]}}</ref> one of their leaders. In 1857, the request was granted.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://evanstoncity.org/about/history.shtml | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080325073126/http://evanstoncity.org/about/history.shtml | url-status = dead | archive-date = March 25, 2008 | title = City of Evanston - About Evanston - History | access-date = December 13, 2008 | last = City of Evanston }}</ref> The township of Evanston was split off from Ridgeville Township; at approximately the same time, that portion of Ridgeville south of Devon Avenue was organized as [[Lake View Township, Cook County, Illinois|Lake View Township]].<ref name="goodspeed">{{Cite book| last1 = Goodspeed Historical Association | title = History of Cook County, Illinois; being a general survey of Cook County | volume = 2 |editor= Weston A. Goodspeed |editor2=Daniel D. Healy | year = 1909 | location = Chicago, Illinois | publisher=Goodspeed Historical Association | pages = 250–260 | isbn = 9780608368948 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=VtwSAAAAYAAJ | access-date = August 26, 2010 }}</ref> Evanston was formally incorporated as a [[Town (Illinois)|town]] on December 29, 1863, but declined in 1869 to become a city despite the Illinois legislature passing a bill for that purpose. Evanston expanded after the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] with the annexation of the village of North Evanston. Finally, in early 1892, following the annexation of the village of South Evanston, voters elected to organize as a city.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | editor = Newton Bateman | editor2 = Paul Selby | encyclopedia = Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois | title = Evanston | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=lxoVAAAAYAAJ&q=Northwestern+University+founders+railroad&pg=PA159 | access-date = December 14, 2008 | year = 1917 | publisher = Munsell Publishing Co. | volume = 1 | location = Chicago | pages = 160 | archive-date = September 30, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230930085404/https://books.google.com/books?id=lxoVAAAAYAAJ&q=Northwestern+University+founders+railroad&pg=PA159#v=snippet&q=Northwestern%20University%20founders%20railroad&f=false | url-status = live }}</ref> The 1892 boundaries are largely those that exist today. In the late summer of 1912, the beaches in Evanston were infested with thousands of [[rats]]. The rats had burrowed into the sides of the lake banks, dug holes in the sand, and hid under piers. Most of the rats were extremely large and savage, attacking people who disturbed them. Local bathers struggled to navigate the shores, constantly stepping into the hidden rat holes. John Morgan, the manager of an extermination company tasked with removing the vermin, stated that it was not uncommon for rats to live around the lake's shore because of the quantity of dead fish that was cast to shore by the waves. The weather also played a role since the close proximity to the beaches allowed the rats to swim out in the water during the hot summer.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88064384/1912-09-14/ed-1/seq-10/print/image_681x648_from_275%2C3379_to_2330%2C5337/|title= Fair Bathers and Big Rats Use Beach|author= The St. Mary Banner|date= September 14, 1912|website= Chronicling America|publisher= The St. Mary Banner|access-date= March 15, 2022|archive-date= March 15, 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220315195230/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88064384/1912-09-14/ed-1/seq-10/print/image_681x648_from_275,3379_to_2330,5337/|url-status= live}}</ref> During the 1960s, Northwestern University changed the city's shoreline by adding a {{convert|74|acre|adj=on}} [[Northwestern University Lakefill|lakefill]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://digital.library.northwestern.edu/architecture/building.php?bid=24 | title = The James Roscoe Miller Campus | access-date = February 23, 2013 | archive-date = December 17, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121217005251/http://digital.library.northwestern.edu/architecture/building.php?bid=24 | url-status = live }}</ref> In 1939, Evanston hosted the first [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA basketball championship final]] at Northwestern University's [[Patten Gymnasium]].<ref name=defoh>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RFsaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5210%2C5220416 |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel |agency=Associated Press |title=Giant Oregon five defeats Ohio for U.S. title, 46–33 |date=March 28, 1939 |page=12 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In August 1954, Evanston hosted the second assembly of the [[World Council of Churches]], still the only WCC assembly to have been held in the United States. President [[Dwight Eisenhower]] welcomed the delegates, and [[Dag Hammarskjöld]], secretary-general of the [[United Nations]], delivered an important address entitled "An instrument of faith".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasesen.nsf/index/Feat-04-40.html | title = Evanston After Fifty Years | access-date = December 18, 2008 | last = Hjelm | first = Norman A. | date = September 14, 2004 | publisher = World Council of Churches | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080704071257/http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasesen.nsf/index/Feat-04-40.html | archive-date = July 4, 2008 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> Evanston first received power in April 1893. Many people lined the streets on Emerson St. where the first appearance of street lights were lined and turned on. Today, the city is home to Northwestern University, [[Music Institute of Chicago]], and other educational institutions, as well as headquarters of [[Alpha Phi]] International women's [[fraternity]], [[Rotary International]], the [[National Merit Scholarship Corporation]], the National [[Lekotek]] Center, the [[Sigma Alpha Epsilon]] fraternity, the [[Sigma Chi]] fraternity and the [[Woman's Christian Temperance Union]]. Evanston is the birthplace of [[Tinkertoy]]s, and is one of the locations claiming to have originated the ice cream [[sundae]].<ref>History Channel - Modern Marvels - "Ice Cream Tech" - (2008)</ref> Evanston was the home of the Clayton Mark and Company, which for many years supplied the most jobs.<ref>{{cite news | title = Clayton Mark Products Used Throughout the World | newspaper = Evansbriar Review | date = May 7, 1953}}</ref> Evanston was a [[dry town|dry community]] from 1858 until 1972, when the City Council voted to allow restaurants and hotels to serve liquor on their premises. In 1984, the Council voted to allow retail liquor outlets within the city limits.<ref>Foerstner, Abigail. "Evanston liquor store to close door on era". ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. July 6, 1984. p. NS-1.</ref> In March 2021, Evanston [[Evanston Reparations Committee|became the first city in the United States to pay reparations to African American residents]] (or their descendants) who were victims of unfair housing practices. The city council of the city voted 8 to 1 to approve the reparations which consisted of a $25,000 payment to African American households that can be used as down payments on their homes, house payments or for home repairs. This was the initial payment, with plans to distribute $10 million in reparations payments to Black residents over the next decade.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |title=Black residents to get reparations in Evanston, Illinois |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56497294 |website=BBC News |date=March 23, 2021 |access-date=March 24, 2021 |archive-date=March 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324004448/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56497294 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Associated Press">{{cite web |title=Illinois city 1st in US to offer Black residents reparations |url=https://apnews.com/article/reparations-evanston-illinois-black-residents-752a6fe83c560117523d7f8abba1bfb8 |website=AP NEWS |date=March 23, 2021 |access-date=March 24, 2021 |archive-date=March 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324022248/https://apnews.com/article/reparations-evanston-illinois-black-residents-752a6fe83c560117523d7f8abba1bfb8 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="The Guardian">{{cite web |title=Illinois city approves first reparations program for Black residents |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/23/evanston-illinois-city-reparations-program-black-residents |website=The Guardian |date=March 23, 2021 |access-date=March 24, 2021 |archive-date=March 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324005922/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/23/evanston-illinois-city-reparations-program-black-residents |url-status=live }}</ref> In August 2021, Evanston became one of the first cities to approve a pilot project providing a [[guaranteed income]] to select residents, drawing upon a combination of public funds and a partnership with Northwestern University.<ref>{{cite web|last=Seidenberg|first=Bob|date=August 12, 2021|title=Council moves forward on Guaranteed Income program with $500 monthly payments to select residents|url=http://evanstonroundtable.com/2021/08/12/council-moves-forward-on-guaranteed-income-program-with-500-monthly-payments-to-select-residents/|access-date=August 25, 2021|website=Evanston RoundTable|archive-date=August 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824134742/https://evanstonroundtable.com/2021/08/12/council-moves-forward-on-guaranteed-income-program-with-500-monthly-payments-to-select-residents/|url-status=live}}</ref>
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