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/835^/962 UNIVERSITY OF ItUf- "!•$ UBRARY AT Uiw- .*« CHAMPAIGN ILL. HIST. SURVEY «r ™ OF ?Y J Al AIGN IL.. vrtVEY Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://archive.org/details/blueislandstoryhOOIion 'J I ^ i .._ THE } i *v u ^BlUE ISLAND ~ STORV r^ J-\ AN HISTORICAL REVIEW OF THE FIRST ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OUR CITY ON THE HILL OF BLUE ISLAND, ILLINOIS WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED AS PART OF THE 1962 FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION SPONSORED BY THE LIONS CLUB OF BLUE ISLAND FOREWORD How 'The Blue Island Story" Came To Be In planning the 1962 Fourth of July Celebration, the Lions Club of Blue Island has believed that part of its duty was to bring the history of our city up to date. Could we not look back and retell the story of our past? Could we not catch again that determination to conquer all obstacles, which has always marked our people? Could we not re-dedicate ourselves to the furtherance of that spirit which has brought us from a little pioneer village to our present prosperous city? Perhaps by studying again The Blue Island Story, and rewriting it for others to read, we might accomplish all these aims. Thus inspired, we have herein attempted to tell of our city's 127 years growth. Fortunately our committee has been able to lean heavily on the fine historical efforts of the late John H. Volp, who wrote "The First Hundred Years." This book not only presents invaluable source material, but also sets a standard of excellence which we hope we have met. The Blue Island Sun- Standard has been our sole authority for happenings since 1935, so we owe the Volp family and organiza- tion a double debt of gratitude. Although our work is principally concerned with the years after 1935, we have attempted to condense Mr. Volp's presentation, in order to tell the entire story of our city's prosperity. Our hope now is that you, our readers, will ac- cept "The Blue Island Story" in the same spirit in which it is presented: that all the tomorrows of this city, our home, will be as fine and as good and as great as have been its yesterdays. The Lions Club of Blue Island 1962 Fourth of July Celebration Committee Henry G. Baumann, General Chairman "The Blue Island Story" Committee Harold L Richards and Harold Volp, Co-chairmen, JOHN HENRY VOLP 1868 1938 In part borrowed, and in part ours — When John H. Volp wrote "The First Hundred Years'' he penned this dedication: "Dedicated to the Men and Women of a past genera- tion — those sturdy Pioneers who conquered a wilder- ness and laid the foundations of Blue Island, The City on the Hill; to the Men and Women of Today, who art striving to make Blue Island a clean, prosperous and pro- gressive community; and to the little Citizens of the Future, on whose shoulders will fall the duty to carry on this work and who must set for themselves even higher ideals." To which the committee responsible for "The Blue Island Story" would add these words — "And to the memory of John H. Volp, who wrote so well of our First Hundred Years." Printed by The Blue Island Pulishing Corporation THE BLUE ISLAND STORY "If a cat held by its tail is Courtney's location, which would swung in a circle, it will touch bring him close to a well traveled all four walls." trail, the Vincennes Road, and en- This description of Norman hance the business possibilities of Rexford's first tavern, built in his inn. In 1836 he began another 1835 in the north section of Blue tavern about 1000 feet away from Island, would not only fit this Courtney's place, on the highest one building, but would hand- point of the southeastern part of somely compliment any structure the elevation. This would place in the tiny settlement at this time. him on the east side of the mean- Even though Isaac Greenacre's dering path which is now Western comment on the four room log Avenue, about half way between hut is certainly not flattering, this Grove and Fulton Streets. No structure would seem pa 1 a t i a 1 crude cabin this, but a frame when compared to the home of building sided with boards cost- Thomas Courtney, the first white ing $40.00 a thousand feet, and man known to have settled in the brought by team from over one "Blue Island," in the summer of hundred miles away. 1834. Standing alone in the wil- This, the "Blue Island House," derness, this crude cabin had but soon proved that Rexford had a single room, no windows, only chosen his site well. The high part one opening, a makeshift fireplace of the Blue Island elevation wafl at one end, and an earthen floor. much steeper and more abrupt in When this first home is compared those days than it is now, and the to the beautiful and impressive traveler could get a grand pano- First Lutheran Church which now rama of much of the low lying \cr- occupies its place, it seems scarce- country all around, from the ly worthy of being called a human anda of the Blue Island Hon-'-. habitation. Army officers and settlers, push- After operating his little tavern ing their ways south and west for about a year, Norman Rex- along the Vincennes Trail, run- ford decided to move nearer ning nearby, stopped overnight. and this structure, the first of any surrounding about four or five permanent character, became the thousand acres of beautiful table nucleus of the "city on the hill." land. But why the name Blue Island, "In summer the plain is covered and when was it adopted? The with luxurious herbiage. It is un- most logical explanation seems to inhabited, and when we visited it, be one made in the Chicago Demo- from its stillness, loneliness, and crat of February, 1834, in this quiet, we pronounced it a vast description: "Nearly south of this vegetable solitude. The ridge, town (Chicago) and twelve miles when viewed from a distance, ap- distant is Blue Island. This name pears standing in an azure mist is particularly appropriate. It is of vapor, hence the appellation, a table of land about six miles 'Blue Island'." long and an average of two miles Geographically and geologically wide, of an oval form and rising this description is well supported. some forty feet out of an immense Geological survey maps in John plain which surrounds it on every Volp's book, "The First Hundred side. The sides and slopes of this Years," show the present city a table as well as the table itself, true island for ages during and are covered with a handome after the melting of the ice cap growth of timber, forming a belt which covered it during the glacial The Blue Island House This was the first structure of a permanent character to be erected in Blue Island. It was built by Norman Rexford in 1836 and for many years served as a hotel and as a home for the Rexford family. The drawing above was reproduced from a pencil sketch made during the early years when the building was still standing. The sketch was kindly loaned by Fred K. Rexford of Pasadena, California. period. Then it was at least eight did not become "Blue Indiana U miles from the present western land."' shore of the lake. At first. Blue Although the name Blue [aland Island and Mount Forest Island seemed well accepted, even be- were the only islands in the lake, the fore settlers came in an) 1 with Lane's Island and Stonv Is- numbers, its official adoption be- land appearing out of the reced- came another story, which has ing waters at a somewhat later caused no small amount of con- date. It is thought by some that cern and confusion. This was <lu<-. Lake Michigan's original shore in part, to the somewhat grand- line was at Blue Island, receding iose schemes of Peter Barton, a first to the present Michigan Ave- pioneer real estate promoter who nue ridge, and from there finally came to the area in 1837. After to its present shore line. helping Norman Rexford improve The '"Blue" part of the name the main road leading south (now is at least partly due to another Western Avenue) he plotted the story, told by an early visitor to section beginning at what is now the elevated part of this region, our drainage canal and extending who remembered the acres and south to the present township acres of blue flags (wild iris) line, between Western Avenue and which grew in the marshy spots the Calumet River. This section at the base of the ridge, and he named Portland, laid out and seemed to impart their color to named the streets, and "donated" the vapor rising from the stag- a public square — thereby caus- nant water. Perhaps the most in- ing himself to be more cussed teresting of all explanations of than discussed for many, many the name might be the one ad- years in the future. For, in donat- vanced by H. B. Robinson, mem- ing this square, which he had pre- ber of a pioneer family which lo- sumably meant for the court cated here in the early days. He house location, it had been "dedi- told of a tribe of Indians former- cated to the use of the people ly living on the ridge, who painted forever." In the first place its their faces blue, and who were location placed it at the later in- referred to by hunters in the area tersection of Broadway and Cha- at that time as the "blues of the tham, making the property four ridge." While history does tell small squares instead of one.

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