Catalog Search Results
1) Winnetka
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English
Description
In 1854, as the Chicago and Milwaukee Railroad Company made plans to lay track through the Green Bay Trail north of Chicago, builder Charles Peck subdivided the surrounding woods. His wife Sarah declared that they must name this land Winnetka, meaning "beautiful land" in Native American. There is no proof that the word means "beautiful land" in any language--but all who visit Winnetka agree it is an apt description. Bordered by Lake Michigan and the...
2) Kearney
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English
Description
Kearney, Missouri, is just 25 miles northeast of Kansas City, and though it's a quiet farming and ranching community, its close proximity to the downtown area makes it the perfect place for commuters who want a small town to come home to. Officially incorporated in 1869 and most likely named for Charles E. Kearney, president of the Kansas City and Cameron Railroad, Kearney is best known as the birthplace of outlaw Jesse James and his brother Frank....
3) Northfield
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English
Description
In 1926, railroad and electric power tycoon Samuel Insull held a contest to name a station on the Skokie Valley Electric Line that the locals already called the Skokie Swamp. The winning name? Wau Bun, a Potawatomi word meaning "dawn" and also the name of a noted Potawatomi chief from the late 1700s. But the residents of Skokie Swamp hated the name and plotted their revenge. Three years later, as Insull was on a train pulling into the station, he...
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