Ever wonder about the origins of DuPage County and our local area? Continue reading to find out!
Throughout the 1700’s and early 1800’s, trappers and traders came into the area. The best known was a French fur trader named DuPage. Both the DuPage River and county were eventually named for him.
The first actual settler in DuPage County was Bailey Hobson in March 1831. Shortly thereafter, other families joined him to settle in the area. One of the best known was Capt. Joseph Naper from Ohio, who operated a grist mill and built his cabin nearby. The area became known as Naper Settlement, which was later incorporated as the Village of Naperville in 1857.
In 1832, Winfield Township was settled by Erastus and Jude Gary. They established a lumbering settlement called Gary’s Mill, which eventually became known as Fredericksburg due to a significant German-speaking immigrant population. In the late 1800’s, it was renamed Winfield after war hero Winfield Scott.
In 1833, Warrenville was founded by Julius Warren and his father, Daniel. They claimed land and established an inn and tavern in 1838, which still exists today as Warren Tavern Museum. After six unsuccessful attempts, Warrenville was finally incorporated as a city in 1967.
Wheaton was founded by Jesse Wheaton, Erastus Gary, and Warren Wheaton in 1837-38 when they claimed hundreds of acres of land in the area. They strategically offered the railroad several miles of free right-of-way through their property, and it initially became known as Wheaton Depot. In 1859, as the region began to prosper, the Village of Wheaton was incorporated.
Turner Junction was another early DuPage County town. It was the first community in Illinois created by the coming of the railroads in 1849. Three railroads met here by late 1850: the Galena & Chicago Union RR, the St Charles Branch RR, and the Dixon Air Line RR. In 1896, in an effort to attract industry, the name of the town was changed to the Village of West Chicago.
As to DuPage County itself, it was actually a part of Cook County until 1839 when it was separated and organized into a distinct county. Naper Settlement was chosen as its first county seat. The nine townships of DuPage County were organized in 1850. An attempt was made in 1857 to move the county seat to Wheaton due to its more central location. This attempt failed, but in 1867 it was passed by a referendum and Wheaton became the county seat as it remains today.
It’s interesting to note that many of our streets are named after these early settlers.