A Short History of Garfield Ridge
Mud Lake
The area of Garfield Ridge has always been in an important geographical section
of the Chicago area. It contained the southernmost portion of Mud Lake, a swamp
which connected the Chicago and Des Plaines River. The southern shore was known as
Point of Oaks and extended to 53rd and Oak Park. There are still a few oaks left
today. The significance of the lake was that it provided a significant travel
route for native Americans and the French explorers Marquette and Joliet. During
the wet season one could take a canoe using Mud Lake and effectively connect
Lake Michigan to the Illinois River. In drier seasons there were portage
routes where canoes could be carried between navigable waterways.
Illinois and Michigan Canal
Upon this feature a canal was planned and dug in the 1830s and began operation in the
1840s to make the primitive route continuous and efficient. This was named the
Illinois and Michigan Canal and was crucial to Chicago’s development as a transportation hub.
The first prominent high point along this route which required a lock was Summit. This led to a
small settlement of canal workers in the 1840s near Lawndale Avenue and the current
Sanitary and Ship Canal in Summit.
Long John Wentworth &
Dutch Farmers
Land speculators such as Col William Archer after whom Archer Ave. is named and
Frederick Petersdorf began buying land surrounding the settlement. The first prominent
resident was former mayor "Long" John Wentworth who was buying up most of the land of the
current neighborhood in the 1850s-1860's as well as much of the land in nearby Clearing
and Summit. He owned about 4,700 acres (19 km2) in all. He built a large country estate at
5441 S Harlem in 1868. Upon his death in 1888, he sold his home and immediate farmland to
Cyrus Parlin formerly of Maine.
The vast majority of the rest of the acreage was controlled by his nephew Moses Wentworth.
Moses leased land for the next 24 years to individual farmers,
most notably a group of Dutch farmers who settled around Archer and Austin
around the late 19th century. They founded two churches. Bethel Reformed on
Archer and Austin and Archer Reformed on Archer and Mayfield.
Sleepy Hollow and Archer Limits
At that time the Illinois and Michigan canal was obsolete and a much larger Sanitary and
Ship Canal was built which exists today. Over in the far northeast corner east of Cicero and
north of 47th st the Sleepy Hollow subdivision was being built in 1907. At the time the western
section of the area was considered part of Summit and the eastern section was known as
Archer Limits at some point which then became an alternate term for Garfield
Ridge for years. This name was due to Cicero and Archer being the limts of the
city at the time and local streetcar service ending there.
Argo Corn Products and the
Clearing Industrial District
A significant economic development occurred in 1906-1907 with the opening of Argo Corn
Products in Argo near Archer and 63rd street. This created jobs which spurred
growth in the nearby communities namely Clearing and Argo/Summit. However, no
doubt this would have an effect on people moving to Garfield Ridge in subsequent
years. Adding to Argo was the development of the Clearing Industrial District in
present day Bedford Park. After 20 years of trying, first by A B Stickney and then by Henry Porter,
in 1909 Porter finally got the rail yards and switching tracks up and running. Almost immediately
industry sprung up around the yards in Bedford Park which led to a population spike in the area.
Frederick Bartlett
The combination of this industrial growth and good affordable farmland led developer
Frederick Bartlett began to buy land from Wentworth in 1910 and start developing
in 1912 sections called the Bartlett highlands. With a first sales office on the
corner of Archer and 62nd Ct. (Merrimac). His first development ran from
Narragansett to Meade and 51st to 55th street. He continued to develop the rest
of the neighborhood and parts of Clearing for the next 10 years in that fashion.
These were quite fancy gated communities at the time. In fact, two gate posts
exist to this day along Archer and Nordica and Archer and Melvina.
Village of Clearing
At the same time the Southeast section was part of the new village of Clearing in 1912.
The two schools in the area were located at 55th and Central and Archer and
Rutherford. Then in 1915 the area was annexed by Chicago. At this time students
travelled to Kelly high school in Brighton Park as they would for more than 40
years. It was at this time that the term Garfield Ridge began to be used. Its
name is derived from 55th street being known as Garfield Blvd named after
president Garfield and the subtle ridge running between 53rd and 54th streets
which separates the swampy Mud Lake area from the drier highlands.In 1918,
Polish immigrant Felix Bialon opened his general store at Archer and Meade. This
would become Midwest department store and was for a time the only business on
Archer in the neighborhood. The 1920s saw substantial Polish immigration to the
area around Archer and Lockwood. The Poles attended St Camillus which was at the
time a mission church of St Josephs in Summit.
The area of Garfield Ridge has always been in an important geographical section
of the Chicago area. It contained the southernmost portion of Mud Lake, a swamp
which connected the Chicago and Des Plaines River. The southern shore was known as
Point of Oaks and extended to 53rd and Oak Park. There are still a few oaks left
today. The significance of the lake was that it provided a significant travel
route for native Americans and the French explorers Marquette and Joliet. During
the wet season one could take a canoe using Mud Lake and effectively connect
Lake Michigan to the Illinois River. In drier seasons there were portage
routes where canoes could be carried between navigable waterways.
Illinois and Michigan Canal
Upon this feature a canal was planned and dug in the 1830s and began operation in the
1840s to make the primitive route continuous and efficient. This was named the
Illinois and Michigan Canal and was crucial to Chicago’s development as a transportation hub.
The first prominent high point along this route which required a lock was Summit. This led to a
small settlement of canal workers in the 1840s near Lawndale Avenue and the current
Sanitary and Ship Canal in Summit.
Long John Wentworth &
Dutch Farmers
Land speculators such as Col William Archer after whom Archer Ave. is named and
Frederick Petersdorf began buying land surrounding the settlement. The first prominent
resident was former mayor "Long" John Wentworth who was buying up most of the land of the
current neighborhood in the 1850s-1860's as well as much of the land in nearby Clearing
and Summit. He owned about 4,700 acres (19 km2) in all. He built a large country estate at
5441 S Harlem in 1868. Upon his death in 1888, he sold his home and immediate farmland to
Cyrus Parlin formerly of Maine.
The vast majority of the rest of the acreage was controlled by his nephew Moses Wentworth.
Moses leased land for the next 24 years to individual farmers,
most notably a group of Dutch farmers who settled around Archer and Austin
around the late 19th century. They founded two churches. Bethel Reformed on
Archer and Austin and Archer Reformed on Archer and Mayfield.
Sleepy Hollow and Archer Limits
At that time the Illinois and Michigan canal was obsolete and a much larger Sanitary and
Ship Canal was built which exists today. Over in the far northeast corner east of Cicero and
north of 47th st the Sleepy Hollow subdivision was being built in 1907. At the time the western
section of the area was considered part of Summit and the eastern section was known as
Archer Limits at some point which then became an alternate term for Garfield
Ridge for years. This name was due to Cicero and Archer being the limts of the
city at the time and local streetcar service ending there.
Argo Corn Products and the
Clearing Industrial District
A significant economic development occurred in 1906-1907 with the opening of Argo Corn
Products in Argo near Archer and 63rd street. This created jobs which spurred
growth in the nearby communities namely Clearing and Argo/Summit. However, no
doubt this would have an effect on people moving to Garfield Ridge in subsequent
years. Adding to Argo was the development of the Clearing Industrial District in
present day Bedford Park. After 20 years of trying, first by A B Stickney and then by Henry Porter,
in 1909 Porter finally got the rail yards and switching tracks up and running. Almost immediately
industry sprung up around the yards in Bedford Park which led to a population spike in the area.
Frederick Bartlett
The combination of this industrial growth and good affordable farmland led developer
Frederick Bartlett began to buy land from Wentworth in 1910 and start developing
in 1912 sections called the Bartlett highlands. With a first sales office on the
corner of Archer and 62nd Ct. (Merrimac). His first development ran from
Narragansett to Meade and 51st to 55th street. He continued to develop the rest
of the neighborhood and parts of Clearing for the next 10 years in that fashion.
These were quite fancy gated communities at the time. In fact, two gate posts
exist to this day along Archer and Nordica and Archer and Melvina.
Village of Clearing
At the same time the Southeast section was part of the new village of Clearing in 1912.
The two schools in the area were located at 55th and Central and Archer and
Rutherford. Then in 1915 the area was annexed by Chicago. At this time students
travelled to Kelly high school in Brighton Park as they would for more than 40
years. It was at this time that the term Garfield Ridge began to be used. Its
name is derived from 55th street being known as Garfield Blvd named after
president Garfield and the subtle ridge running between 53rd and 54th streets
which separates the swampy Mud Lake area from the drier highlands.In 1918,
Polish immigrant Felix Bialon opened his general store at Archer and Meade. This
would become Midwest department store and was for a time the only business on
Archer in the neighborhood. The 1920s saw substantial Polish immigration to the
area around Archer and Lockwood. The Poles attended St Camillus which was at the
time a mission church of St Josephs in Summit.
