Buffalo Grove turns 50

Buffalo Grove was - in many ways - the quintessential late-1950s town when it was incorporated 50 years ago.

Veterans were coming back from the Korean War and looking for a place to live. The burgeoning area provided cheap homes for those who could take advantage of the GI Bill.

"It was the right development at the right time," said Deborah Fandrei, coordinator of the Raupp Memorial Museum.

Bill Kiddle, who moved into a Cape Cod-style house in 1965, said the home on Cherrywood Road cost him $21,500.

"It was basically kind of a quiet community," Kiddle said. "This was exactly what we were looking for."

The community is celebrating its anniversary as part of its biggest annual event, Buffalo Grove Days, with highlights including a parade at 1 p.m. today and the dedication of a time capsule at 2:30 p.m. Monday.

The street Kiddle moved onto had at least 65 children living on it, indicative of the Baby Boom.

Alcott School was built down the street from Kiddle for the 1960-61 school year. The kindergarten class had 60 children, while the 6th grade class had 18 students.

Debra Rybarczyk was part of that first kindergarten class. Her family moved into town in 1959, and she decided to bring up her own children in the same home.

"That was one thing that attracted a lot of people: A lot of the adults that were buying the homes had small children so it was a good place to have the kids be able to play," Rybarczyk said.

The schools were built in town before many of the other amenities were brought in, Kiddle said.

"It's always been a community really committed to education," Fandrei said.

Joan Kuffel, who moved to town in 1959 and later designed the town's flag, said the front yards of the homes were all dirt and mud when people first moved in to the newly-built dwellings.

"The screen door blew off every time we put it on," Kuffel said. "It was quite rugged."

But the nice part, Kuffel said, was that her son could go outside and play.

"We were a little group of country people," Kuffel said. "I didn't like being locked up in a box in a house where you can't get outside. This was perfect."

Many of the first homes and the first businesses were built along Buffalo Grove Road. Fandrei said there was a general store and garden stands to start out with, as well as St. Mary's Church, which had been around longer than any homes.

The first census in 1958 showed 164 residents in 42 homes. Three years later in 1961, the number of residents was up to 1,492. The town continued to grow quickly, with the population and number of homes expanded 10-fold in less than 10 years. The Levitt Corp., known for its huge developments on the East Coast, helped fuel massive expansion.

Because neighbors all started moving in at about the same point in their lives with children the same ages, it was a tight-knit community.

"Houses went fast," Fandrei said.

Kiddle, who was on the first park district board, said building parks in conjunction with schools became a priority to preserve open space.

The village continued that emphasis later on, preserving two golf courses in town.

As Buffalo Grove has grown and developed, it has added services that attract new residents and keep old ones in town.

"Buffalo Grove has just about everything to offer now where when I was a child growing up I had to go elsewhere," said Rybarczyk. But it hasn't lost its charm, he added. "I think it was a pretty, quiet, friendly town and it still is."

For more information on Buffalo Grove's history, visit the Raupp Memorial Museum at 901 Dunham Lane. The museum is featuring an exhibit on 1950s Buffalo Grove through Thanksgiving. Information also is available at the village Web site, www.vbg.org.

Buffalo Grove tidbits

What's in a name?

Buffalo Grove got its name long before it was incorporated in 1958. According to local legend, the name comes from a grove of trees where buffalo grazed, though there's no proof buffalo actually resided in the area.

No shortage of books

Buffalo Grove doesn't have its own library, but it once did. Builder Joseph Davero put out an aerial photo with proposed amenities, one of them a library, and a makeshift one was put in a farmhouse owned by Al Frank, another builder, Bill Kiddle, an early resident, recalled. However, Indian Trails Library District in Wheeling was already in place and the Buffalo Grove site eventually closed down.

Familiar names

Al Frank, one of the first developers, is rumored to have named streets in town, such as Bernard Drive, after his children. Other streets, such as Weidner and Raupp, are named after first families that were around long before the village was incorporated, said Deborah Fandrei, coordinator of the Raupp Memorial Museum. Aptakisic is the name of a local Native American chief. The Potawotomi word means "half-day." Emmerich Park was named for a resident who died in World War II.

Early mail route

The Lou Malnati's restaurant on Buffalo Grove Road was formerly home to Bill's Buffalo House. When the village started out, there were no mail routes, so residents would trek over to Bill's to pick up their letters. It also served as a meeting place and the first police station.

School boundaries

Buffalo Grove High School didn't open until 1973. Before then, children went to Prospect and Wheeling high schools. Stevenson opened in 1965, serving the part of the town in Lake County.

Bowled over

Rick Casares, a running back for the Chicago Bears, owned the Pro Bowl, a bowling alley in town at Dundee and Buffalo Grove Roads. The alley was open until 4 a.m. and was a big draw, with league standings appearing in the paper.

Sources: Raupp Memorial Museum and interviews

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