Museum seeking stories for 'Made in West Chicago' exhibit

Do you remember the Reid Murdoch pickle plant in West Chicago? How about the Campbell's Soup mushroom farm?

Residents with memories of the city's biggest companies and manufacturers are encouraged to reach out to the West Chicago City Museum to share their stories in a new exhibit called "Made in West Chicago" opening May 21.

Museum Director and Curator Sara Phalen said the museum has been exploring the idea of doing an exhibit on historic West Chicago businesses for several months in an attempt to shine a spotlight on their histories and the people who worked at them.

"We're one of the few suburbs where a majority of the people actually work in the city they live in," she said. "We're not a commuter suburb. We wanted to talk about that dynamic."

Anyone wishing to contribute their stories prior to the exhibit's opening at Blooming Fest - especially about the pickle plant, the mushroom farm or General Mills, which is closing next year - should call the museum at (630) 231-3376 or send an email to wegohistory@gmail.com.

Phalen said, however, that the yearlong exhibit is interactive, so visitors are welcome to sit down at a computer and type up a story when they visit or write memories on a display wall through May 2017.

"It's just such a great way for people to share memories of the big industrial base that we have in West Chicago from a more personal perspective," she said. "They really did greatly impact people's everyday lives and also provided a great economy and jobs for our local people."