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==History== {{More citations needed section|date=October 2014}} [[File:Illinois - Western Spring through Woodstock - NARA - 23939979 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Western Springs in 1936]] Around the turn of the 18th century, nomadic [[Potawatomi]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] settled in the Western Springs area. Whether they built a village is unclear, but evidence of temporary campsites has been found near Flagg Creek in Forest Hills. The natives were gone by the end of 1835, but Potawatomi artifacts may still be found buried in the Springdale neighborhood. The last Cook County campground of the Potawatomi was within what is now the Timber Trails subdivision. The first known settler in the area near Western Springs was [[Elijah Wentworth]]. By 1834, after the [[Black Hawk War]], farmer Joseph Vial had moved from [[New York (state)|New York]] and built a cabin along what is now Plainfield Road, a former Native American trail in the south of Western Springs. This cabin served as a stagecoach station, hotel, general store, and post office for the entire area. In 1872, Hill moved to the area from Chicago, and the community began organizing to attract more commuters. Residents built a wooden schoolhouse (1872) and a post office (1873). [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad|The CB&Q Railroad]] built a line through Western Springs in 1863, filling in much of the westside swamp in the process. In 1870, the Western Springs Land Association, consisting of promoter Thomas Clarkson Hill, William Page and two sons of Phillip F. W. Peck, bought the three tracts that make up the area for $105,000. In 1885, the Grand Avenue School replaced the wooden schoolhouse, and the office of village marshal was created as a combination policeman, dogcatcher, and groundskeeper. In 1886, the Friend's Church (razed in 1958) was built on the corner of Walnut and Woodland. That same year, Western Springs incorporated as a village by a public vote of 34 to 25. The voting townspeople elected a prominent Quaker developer, T. C. Hill, as the town's first president.<ref>Mulvaney, M. (1987). ''Western Springs: Then and Now'' Western Springs Area Branch of the American Association of University Women</ref> A large number of early residents were [[Quakers]], and deeds often prohibited the sale of alcohol. (Until recently, the village itself had not permitted the sale of alcoholic beverages but currently a number of establishments do sell such.) Over time, with increased commuter settlement, Western Springs came to look less and less Quaker. After the spring dried up in 1890, the village hired engineers Edgar and Benezette Williams to build the village waterworks system, including the famous [[Western Springs Water Tower]]. Constructed using [[Naperville, Illinois|Naperville]] stone, the tower stands {{convert|112|ft|m}} high. A new water tower was constructed in 1962 in Spring Rock Park, replacing the iconic water tower as the village's water source.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Western Springs Water Tower, 914 Hillgrove Avenue, Western Springs, Cook County, IL |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/il1003/ |access-date=17 December 2024 |website=Library of Congress}}</ref> The tower became a museum in 1970 and entered the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1981.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |title=Tower Museum |url=http://www.westernspringshistory.org/facilities/tower-museum/ |access-date=January 14, 2014 |publisher=Western Springs Historical Society}}</ref> A fire in 1991 from a lightning strike caused extensive damage to the roof and interior, but the museum reopened in 1993 following restoration efforts<ref name=":2" /> The water tower is seen by residents as a symbol of the town.<ref>{{cite news |last=Presecky |first=William |date=October 11, 1993 |title=Town's Renovated Water Tower Stands Tall |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993/10/11/towns-renovated-water-tower-stands-tall/ |access-date=17 December 2024 |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> Western Springs added many improvements over the years, including a fire department (1894), electric plant (1898), telephones (1899), a park district (1923), and a library (1926). The village expanded south of 47th Street, annexing the subdivisions of Forest Hills (1927), Springdale (1955), and Ridgewood (1973). On July 26, 1962, one of the first international satellite calls, using the new [[Telstar 1|Telstar]] satellite, was placed between representatives of Western Springs and its sister city [[Rugeley|Rugeley, England.]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=wshshistory |date=2013-08-14 |title=Western Springs… First in Space? - Western Springs Historical Society |url=https://westernspringshistory.org/western-springs-first-in-space/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |language=en-US}}</ref> [[File:First Congregational Church Western Springs IL 1.jpg|thumb|The [[First Congregational Church of Western Springs]] is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].]] On March 21, 2005, the Village of Western Springs annexed the former Timber Trails golf course, which is now being developed into a new community of single-family homes and [[townhomes]]. The annexation of the property added {{convert|105.9|acre|km2}} to the village. The plans for this development were controversial, with some residents citing concerns over the number of trees to be cut down and fears about possible environmental contamination due to [[Environmental impact of pesticides|pesticides]] from the former golf course as reasons for their opposition to the development.<ref>[https://www.chicagotribune.com/2005/04/23/timber-trails-developer-invites-state-oversight/ "Timber Trails developer invites state oversight"] ''Chicago Tribune'' April 23, 2005. Retrieved May 31 2024</ref>
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