Downers Gove, Illinois

Downers Grove’s first settler was Pierce Downer, a 50-year-old-man from New York State who came to Illinois seeking farmland in May 1832. He camped in an oak grove on the prairie and staked his claim. As the news filtered back to the east of the fertile farmland available in Downer’s Grove, other families arrived. Most of the early settlers came from New England and upper New York State. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was extended from Aurora to Chicago through Downers Grove during the Civil War. This was the single most important influence on connecting Downers Grove with the City of Chicago. The settlement grew and in March 1873, Downers Grove was incorporated as a village. Downers Grove now has an approximate population of 48,724.