HR0049 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0049 LRB100 08260 MST 18361 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Mount Prospect was founded by a group of stalwart German immigrants, and today continues to be populated by a diverse population of residents from all over the world, living and working together; and

WHEREAS, In 1874, a land speculator, named Ezra Eggleston, saw the area's potential; he built a train station and plotted a town on paper, naming it Mount Prospect; and

WHEREAS, In the 1880s, hard-working Germans like John C. Moehling, John Meyn, and William Wille picked up where Eggleston left off, creating a small commerce center beside the tracks, close to Eggleston's train station; and

WHEREAS, In 1894, William Busse, a man with lots of political influence in Cook County, settled in town and made Mount Prospect's development a personal priority project; and

WHEREAS, In 1910, industry came to Mount Prospect; the Utility Battery Company and Mount Prospect Creamery were established; a year later, in 1911, the Mount Prospect Improvement Association was founded to make civic improvements such as kerosene street lamps, sidewalks, and oiled streets; Northwest Power and Light Company was also built that same year; and

WHEREAS, In 1917, 100 years ago, Mount Prospect reached a population of 300 and incorporated as a village, allowing it to enact its own laws and levy taxes to pay for roads, schools, and other public improvements; and

WHEREAS, Mount Prospect was ahead of its time when it welcomed a female physician, Dr. Louise Koester, in 1926, well before women physicians were common; and

WHEREAS, In 1930, Mount Prospect was the only city or village in Cook County that was not out of money and remained open during the Great Depression; the tradition of very conservative money choices kept both the Village and the Mount Prospect State Bank from going bankrupt; and

WHEREAS, Mount Prospect boomed during the post-World War II years, increasing its population from 1,720 in 1940 to 18,906 in 1960; it continued to grow by leaps and bounds, reaching 52,634 in 1980; and

WHEREAS, Mount Prospect contributed to the world when George Stephen invented the Weber Kettle grill at his Mount Prospect home on Can-Dota Avenue in 1952; from those humble beginnings, he launched a firm that sells millions of dollars of charcoal and gas grills annually; and

WHEREAS, In 1960, Randhurst Mall, the country's first indoor, air conditioned mall, opened; in 2008, the mall was rebuilt as an outdoor lifestyle center, which is currently a thriving commercial area filled with well-known chain stores and restaurants, specialty shops, a movie theater, and more; and

WHEREAS, Mount Prospect has been preparing for its centennial for over three years and, in the process, has identified 33 homes and five commercial/religious/public structures that date to the year of incorporation of 1917 or earlier; and

WHEREAS, Mount Prospect has planned 18 months of celebrations, including fireworks, a reenactment of incorporation festivities, a festive dinner dance, a community-wide fire hydrant painting project, and much more; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the 100th anniversary of the founding of Mount Prospect and we wish it many more successful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mount Prospect Mayor Arlene A. Juracek.