Glenview is still looking good at 121

Recently, the Village of Glenview marked its 121st birthday. On May 23, 1899, the 39 Founding Fathers signed a petition for incorporation; it was officially granted on June 20 at the Glen View House, giving the population of 325 an official place to call home. (No "founding mothers" were eligible to sign the papers, since women were not able to cast votes for another 21 years!)

Why the decision to incorporate? The hamlet, then called Glen View, had little infrastructure; most (but not all) its citizens were keen to raise tax funds to make much-needed improvements. Streets were little more than trails and paths, which were muddy in wet weather and dusty the rest of the time. One of the first tax-funded projects was to put down gravel and cinders on those pathways - a vast change for the better. The first wooden sidewalks were built a year or two later, and in 1902, gasoline streetlights were added.

Modernization grew by leaps and bounds as gas and electric utilities came to the Village in 1910. Six years later, local folk enjoyed the convenience of running water, piped in from a deep well, as well as sewer service. Indoor plumbing had come to Glen View! Few would lament the passing of the outdoor privy (aka outhouse) or its indoor counterpart: the commode/chamber pot (reserved for use during inclement weather).

The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad had passed through the Village since 1871, providing both freight and passenger service. People got around the Village by the horse and buggy/wagon, which remained the primary mode of local transportation until after the turn of the century, when the first motorcars appeared. In the late 1890s, the notion of living in the "country" and working in the city - the commuter concept - was practiced in Glen View when men from the Swedenborg Park community did just that on a daily basis.

The four corners of what are now Glenview and Waukegan roads (then called Lake and Mill streets) were a popular a destination, with a saloon or general store - or sometimes both under one roof. Such establishments provided a place for locals to obtain supplies of all sorts, exchange news of the day, and perhaps even enjoy a game of checkers. Villagers apparently lived a relatively quiet life in those early years, since the only local law enforcement was conducted by three constables (who also were saloon-keepers).

A permanent volunteer fire company was formed in 1912. By 1917, Glen View enjoyed the services of a Village marshall, who was paid $40 per month to maintain law and order. That same year, some 70 local young men went off to serve their country in World War 1 as doughboys - that era's term for soldiers. It was a time of rapid change for their hometown. And with the Roaring Twenties on the horizon, more big changes were yet to come - including streamlining the name from Glen View to Glenview.

So happy belated birthday, Glenview! You've come a long way, and you're still lookin' good!

• For information about the Glenview History Center, call (847) 724-2235 or visit glenviewhistory.org.