Buffalo Grove, Lake, Illinois, United States

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Buffalo Grove, Lake, Illinois
Surnames/tags: Illinois History United States History German Roots

Buffalo Grove, Lake, Illinois -Facts, History, and Information

Buffalo Grove is a suburban village nestled along the border of Lake and Cook counties, northwest of Chicago, approximately 30 miles from The Loop. Established in the 1840s by Melchior Raupp and other German farmers, Buffalo Grove remained populated by these Roman Catholics, who raised $300 and donated seven acres of land to build the first St. Mary's Catholic Church in 1852. Though destroyed by arsonists a few years later, the church was rebuilt in 1899 at Buffalo Grove Road and Lake-Cook County Road.

Dairy farming was an important part of the economy around the turn of the century and the cheese factory owned by J.B. Weidner still stands on Dundee Road, though has been converted to office space. The original bar at Little Mike's Place, which opened in 1899 across from the original St. Mary's Church, a hundred years later serves as the bar of the famous Lou Malnati's.

In the 1930s, Dundee Road became the first state concrete road in Illinois, a precedent that spread to the rest of the state due to improved automobile access. Builder Al Frank began development on 100 acres of farmland in 1957, and incorporation followed a year later.

Following a steadily increasing population and the development of more subdivisions, diversity increased as the Jewish community grew to six synagogues and approximately 30% of the population from the 1970s through the 1990s.

Expansions in the 1980s and 1990s also saw an increase in industrial and commercial centers along the Soo Line as well as business and industrial centers on the east and west of the village.

Notable Residents of Buffalo Grove include: Raymond Benson, thriller author; Zach Borenstein, baseball player; Megan Bozek, ice hockey player; Verna L. Clayton, former state representative and mayor of Buffalo Grove; Ali Cobrin, actress (Kara in American Reunion); Ronald Goldman, victim in the O. J. Simpson murder case; Felice Herrig, kickboxer, Muay Thai fighter, and mixed martial artist in the UFC; Aaron Himelstein, actor; Mike Kinsella, musician in various bands including American Football and Cap'n Jazz; Tim Kinsella, musician in various bands including Cap'n Jazz and Joan of Arc; Brett Lebda, defenseman for the 2008 Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings; Sidney Mathias, state representative; Jessy Schram, actress; Rob Sherman, atheist activist, perennial candidate, and businessman; Bradie Tennell, Olympic figure skater; Vince Vaughn, actor, raised in Buffalo Grove; Andy Wozniewski, hockey player in the NHL and NLA

References

"Buffalo Grove, IL," Encyclopedia of Chicago. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2021, from http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/177.html

Jacob Osborn and Ellen Wulfhorst, S. (2013, March 15). Photo gallery: A history of Buffalo Grove. Retrieved May 16, 2021, from https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/buffalo-grove/chi-photo-gallery-a-history-of-buffalo-grove-20130315-photogallery.html

History of BUFFALO Grove, IL - a Brief History. (2020, February 17). Retrieved May 16, 2021, from https://townsquarepublications.com/history-of-buffalo-grove-il/

Hatch, M. (2011, June 25). Patch passport: Travel back in time. Retrieved May 16, 2021, from https://patch.com/illinois/buffalogrove/patch-passport-travel-back-in-time-6

Buffalo Grove, illinois. (2021, May 11). Retrieved May 16, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Grove,_Illinois

Raupp Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2021, from http://bgparks.org/facilities/museum.aspx#bghistory