TOUR OF BELMONT-CRAGIN AND HERMOSA
Saturday August 30, 2014 at 11:00 AM
Kelvyn Park at 4438 W Wrightwood in Chicago

The adjacent communities of Hermosa and Belmont-Cragin are on Chicago’s northwest side.  Their boundaries are all rail lines and the railroads, commercial and commuter, served to be instrumental in the formation and history of these communities.

Hermosa is Chicago Community Area #20 and is located 6 miles northwest of The Loop.  The area was first settled in modern history by Scottish immigrants in the 1880s and soon Scandinavian and German settlers.  The railroads were principally responsible for the areas settlement and the areas growth, and serve today as the majority of its borders.  The railroad attracted industry and companies that needed quick access to the rail lines and soon manufacturers built factories along the rail lines.  The most famous company to grow from the area would be the Schwinn Bicycle Company.  With the factories came more rail stops and with the jobs and the transportation came population growth and the area soon was a popular place to live, work, shop, and find entertainment, all within its borders.

Belmont-Cragin is Chicago Community Area #19 and is about 8 miles northwest of the Loop. The first business to open up in the area was George Merrill’s saloon in 1835 near Grand and Armitage.  The tavern was a convenient stop for truck farmers using the plank road of present day Grand Avenue to bring their harvest to market in the city.  Soon they built railroads and companies to locate along the rails, added rail stops, workers and residents and development and the growth of a community surrounded completely by railroads. 

Both areas have their share of spectacular commercial, religious and institutional buildings as well as a glorious stock of residential homes and flats, where the ordinary home is clearly special. Come explore the two communities of Belmont-Cragin and Hermosa on Saturday August 30 at 11:00 AM at Kelvyn Park at 4438 W Wrightwood in Chicago’s Hermosa community.  Bring your bike, a helmet and we’ll provide a pleasant late-summer ride learning from and enjoying Chicago’s northwest side.

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