Every week we publish a historic photo highlighting a story from Naperville’s past from the history archives of Naper Settlement.
Naperville’s roadways have changed quite a bit over the years.
Consider Ogden Avenue, now one of the busiest thoroughfares in Naperville, which began as a trail between Lake Michigan and what is now Lisle.
The trail was used by fur traders traveling to and from Fort Dearborn in what is now downtown Chicago.
By the 1830s, it had transitioned to a stagecoach route and then, in the mid-1800s, a toll road when a group of businessmen decided to fund the Southwest Plank Road, which reached Naperville in 1851.
The road was eight feet wide with planks of wood three inches wide. The plan was for the wooden planks to help wagons traverse the often muddy and swampy terrain.
It didn’t last long, however, as the planks warped and deteriorated.
Gravel replaced the planks, and the road was officially christened Ogden Avenue in 1877 in honor of Chicago Mayor William B. Ogden.
It was paved in the 1920s and expanded to four lanes in the 1930s, records show.
The aerial view of Naperville accompanying this column was taken in the 1930s by the Kaufmann & Fabry, a photography company.
Ogden Avenue can be seen the top of the photo, which looks to the north. That’s Washington Street seen slicing through the center, and a couple of notable landmarks — the old Nichols Library and the recently demolished Kroehler YMCA — are noted.
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy train station is near the top. That rail line came to town in 1864.
Many folks in town thought the line’s delayed arrival was a good thing because, unlike many towns, Naperville’s downtown did not end up being bisected by rail lines.
A new depot opened on April 9, 1910. The old depot was remodeled and devoted to freight traffic.
Naperville High School, at Washington Street and Spring Avenue, was built in 1916 for $125,000.
In 1946, School District 78 purchased 37.2 acres of the Martin Mitchell estate from the city of Naperville for $10. It was used for the new Naperville Community High School, which opened Sept. 5, 1950. It would be renamed Naperville Central High School in July 1968.
North-Western College was founded as Plainfield College in 1861 with just 40 students enrolled. The name changed to North-Western in 1864 and is now called North Central College.
The original structure with a bell tower cost $32,000, with $2,000 donated by townspeople at the dedication.
When leaders in the community expressed concern there was no place for young men to go other than saloons, the YMCA was brought to town. Construction on its building began in November 1909 and it opened for use on March 26, 1911.
Initially, women were not allowed inside but eventually the organization amended its rules so they could enter for one hour every week.
The library was made possible by gift from James Lawrence Nichols, who came to Naperville in 1876 to attend North-Western College. By 1882, he was chair of the college’s Commerce Department.
In 1886, he started J.L. Nichols & Co., a publishing house that printed his book, “The Business Guide.” Intended to be a textbook, it had sold three million copies by 1917.
Nichols died in 1895 at age 44. He bequeathed $10,000 to Naperville to establish a library. Nichols Library opened in September 1898.
Three hundred people attended the opening party and donated 200 additional texts to the 500 already purchased by the library.
The building was designated a local landmark in 2017 and is now used as the Gia Mia Naperville restaurant. The newer, larger Nichols Library that replaced it is located on Jefferson Ave.
Andrea Field is the curator of history at Naper Settlement. For more information, go to www.NaperSettlement.org.
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
