Itasca - Yesterday & Today
Itasca was 1st settled by Dr. Elijah Smith in 1841. Dr. Smith practiced in Boston, and in May 1841, he set out to find a suitable site for doctoring, farming, and raising a family. He traveled from New York via Detroit and headed toward DuPage County. His parchment government land title dated March 10, 1843, was signed by John Tylor, President of the United States. The document gave Smith title to the land that is now bounded by the railroad tracks on the south, Maple Street on the west, Cherry Street on the east, and Division Street on the north.
The post office was established in 1846 and took on various names, such as Bremen, Pierce, and Sagone. In the 1860s the 1st school was built. It was a small wooden structure with 1 room. The building was located on a site near the present First Presbyterian Church.
In 1873 Smith plotted 80 acres of his land into lots. The Chicago and Pacific Railroad was completed from Chicago to Elgin, with stations at Bensenville, Wood Dale (called Lester) and Itasca. Smith gave the right-of-way to encourage location of the tracks through the settlement. He donated $400 to help build a station.
The Chicago and Pacific Railroad became "insolvent," as bankruptcy was then termed. In 1880 the road went into the hands of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, a newly formed corporation combining several roads.
The citizens of Itasca decided in 1890 to incorporate into a village. At a meeting at his mill, A. G. Chessman was elected the 1st Village President. Irving Park Road was 1st called the Chicago and Elgin Road. At an 1891 Village Board meeting, the name was changed to Elgin Avenue.
The 1900s
The Village of Itasca created a Historical Commission in 1985 to retain the aesthetic beauty, character, and historical integrity of the Village. The Village of Itasca is committed to the preservation of its pre-1900 and early 1900 homes, buildings, structures, and places.
In 1987, the Village adopted the Historic Preservation Ordinance which provides a mechanism to identify and preserve the special distinctive historic, aesthetic, architectural and / or landscaping characteristics of the Village's cultural, social, economic, political and architectural history.
Itasca Historical District
The Itasca Historical District includes the following area: Bounded on the north by North Street, on the south by Bloomingdale Road, east to Irving Park, Irving Park east to Rush Street; on the east by Cherry Street extended to Schiller Street then west to Rush Street, then south to Irving Park Road and on the west by Catalpa Avenue extended to Bloomingdale Road.