It is generally held that George Dolton was the first settler in the area in 1835. Dolton established a homestead near a local Potawatomi Indian reservation which is now the site of Acme Steel. One year later, J.C. Matthews settled near Dolton and the area began to grow and diversify.

In 1836, the County government granted a river ferry license to Dolton and Matthews. The pair built a toll ferry that crossed the Calumet River at a place known as "Riverdale Crossing".

In 1840, Levi Osterhoudt came to the area and in 1842 he, along with Dolton, received permission from the State of Illinois to construct a toll bridge across the Calumet River. The bridge was constructed and known as "Dolton Bridge" and charged 25 cents for wagons, 2 cents for cattle and 1 cent per person or other animal. It is said that a traveling circus got a "real deal" when their elephant was allowed to cross for only 1 cent!

Dolton and Riverdale became so close and inner-twined that most people considered them one settlement. Families began to establish homesteads in the area, with notable names such as Berschinski, Kipley, Schmidt, Reich and Bachmann being important to the founding of the village.

The area, bounded by the Calumet River on the north and 138th Street on the south, was platted many times and subdivided. In 1867 Riverdale formed its own school district, although schooling had been available since the early years. In 1873 Riverdale founded its own post office, a significant accomplishment in those days.

1878 saw the founding of Riverdale's first major industries; the distillery and the lumber yard, located on the Calumet River near what is now Indiana Avenue. Other industries soon followed such as the ice houses, cattle fattening pens, planing mills and even a cooperage. At the cooperage, metal barrel hoops were fastened to wooden staves to make corn, beef, and pickling barrels for the stock yards.

In 1891, Frederick Schmidt built the business district near 137th and Indiana Avenue. People from Dolton, Riverdale and Chicago supported the local businessmen and helped the area prosper. The area consisted of grocery stores, a bakery, a general store, a meat market and several small service businesses.

Even though people from Dolton and Riverdale shopped and had social gatherings with people living in Chicago, there was never any doubt that Riverdale wanted to be a separate village. A newspaper article of the era stated, "There is no desire on the part of the Riverdale settlers to be part of Chicago. In fact, it would cause quite a stir if anything like that should come up."
The first effort to incorporate Riverdale came in 1887 in the form of an election referendum, which was defeated by only 8 votes.

From the Village of Riverdale ordinance book of 1907, the following sums up the final and successful effort to incorporate; "...on November 26th, 1892, another petition was filed in the Cook County Court, signed by Frederich Reich, John Schaefer, Peter Kipley and 37 others, asking that the question of organization of a proposed Village of Riverdale be submitted to the legal voters. On the same day the Honorable Frank Scales, County Judge, entered an order calling an election on the said question of organization, on December 28, 1892, the polling place being fixed at the real estate office of John Schaefer in the rear of the Calumet Hotel (which is now Bugsy Flynn's). Peter Kipley, Herman Hand, and Fred Schmidt were appointed as judges. The election was held on the proposition and it was carried by eight votes."
The first village election was held a month later with 63 votes being cast. The first Mayor of the Village of Riverdale was Frederick Schmidt. So began the official history of the Village of Riverdale and the beginning of "A Century of Pride".

Early in the village's history, the railroads became an important part of it's existence. Not only did the railroads provide employment during the construction period of the 1850s to the 1890s, but they were a link to the world and provided a stable basis for other industries to spring up.
Brickyards were founded in this area around 1880 when it was discovered that the clay in the area made excellent bricks. In May 1887, Purlington & Company opened a brickyard at Chicago Road and the C&EI Railroad near 147th Street. As a result, between 1899 and 1905, other brickyards opened. One of these was the Tuttle Material Company which was located at 138th Street just west of Halsted.

The brickyards surrounding Riverdale added a new element to the population. Expert Canadian brickmakers - some French, some British, and some French-Indian - came to the Riverdale area to work and make their homes.
Russian immigrants came to Riverdale about 1900 to work in the sugar beet fields which were common in this area. The manufacturers of beet sugar brought them to the village because of their knowledge of raising beet crops. The demise of the beet sugar industry came with the depletion of the land due to the lack of crop rotation. The farms were gradually abandoned, and by 1928, little farming was done in the area,. Fortunately, other industries had grown and took the place of farming.

In 1918, Acme Steel Company relocated to Riverdale to increase the size of its plant. The company purchased land along the Calumet River. By 1929, Acme Steel employed 1,189 people.
In 1919, the Federal Ice Refrigerating Company opened a new factory at 142nd and Halsted. They found the location convenient because they were to supply the C&EI Railroad with ice.
Previously, ice companies stored natural ice, which was cut during the winter months on Wolf Lake and the Calumet River. The Federal Ice Refrigerating Company was the first artificial ice plant to operate in the Chicago area.

In the 1920s, Arcady Mills was opened. The company found the convenience of the trains to be a great benefit.

While industry was growing, so was the village. Shortly after the incorporation, ordinances were passed to organize and regulate the police department. The first Police Chief was Frank Steiman. The department consisted of regulars as well as volunteers. The men were paid 50¢ an hour while on duty.

In 1895, the village hall was completed. It was a beautiful brick structure which stood at 137th Place and Wabash Avenue. It housed the jail in it's basement.
By 1900, a central telephone office was constructed. It serviced both Riverdale and Dolton. In 1928, after several moves, the site at 137th Street and Indiana Avenue was purchased from the Schmidt family. The site became the permanent home of "Ma Bell" and, on December 14, 1929 at 9:35 p.m., Riverdale received it's own telephone service.
On July 20, 1900, a petition of more than three-quarters of the legal voters was signed to enlarge the village to a total of 1340 acres. Then, on July 5, 1905, a special election was called to annex a portion of Calumet Park. A majority of votes was cast in favor, and the village expanded to 1700 acres.

By 1907, the village of 1,100 people could boast that it "owns a fine large brick village hall, an exceptionally fine water works system, a partial system of sewers, and were perfecting ways and means for the construction of a complete sewer plan..."

It also had a splendid volunteer fire department which began in 1902. The first station was at 41 East 137th Street. A horsedrawn fire truck was given to the Hook & Ladder No. 1 by Chicago with the understanding that they would respond to calls in Chicago as well as in Riverdale.
At the time, the village secured electric light from Dolton, and gas from Northwestern Gas Light & Coke Company in Blue Island.

In 1905, Bowen School and Highlawn School (now Washington School) were built. Also in 1905, an election was held and a large majority voted in favor of establishing the Riverdale Park District.
By 1908, many recreational groups had been organized. Some of these were The Fife & Drum Corps, The Riverdale Gun Club, The Riverdale Fishing & Hunting Club, and The Blinkie Baseball Club which was managed by Theodore Koch.

Also important in the town's development were the Riverdale Theatre, which opened in 1914; the Riverdale Bank, which started operations in 1917; and the expansion of the business district when The Pointer was founded by the Kinney brothers. The first edition was printed on March 23, 1907 on a pink blotter. It included an announcement of the weekly paper, a few advertisements, a joke, and a report of nominations for village officials.

All of these improvements made the village attractive to developers. In 1921, the Branigar Brothers acquired 465 acres extending from Halsted Street east to Indiana Avenue, and from 145th Street North to the Indiana Belt Harbor Railroad. 25 foot lots sold for $250.00. The territory was called "Greenfields." The first building, which is located at 144th Street and Stewart Avenue, was the real estate office for the Branigar Brothers. It also housed apartments and a grocery store - 144th Street's first. The Branigar Brothers also plotted a school site between Wentworth Avenue and LaSalle Street at 142nd Street. Later, Park School would be built in this area.
A contest was held to rename the subdivision "Ivanhoe," the title of Sir Walter Scott's classic novel, was selected. After that change, the community continued to develop with lots ranging from $5,500 to $12,000 (for lots on 144th Street). May 30, 1925 saw the completion of the first unit. By 1926, there were 25 families living in Ivanhoe.

Other subdivisions, some that had been plotted as early as 1891, were the "Spies" Addition to Riverdale, Riverdale Park View, Acme Forest View, and Halsted Gardens. The names alone hint at their locations.

Besides the I.C. trains, there were other modes of transportation that continued to develop. On January 14, 1914, the Chicago Surface Lines, a street car company, extended it's Michigan Avenue run to 138th Street and Leyden Avenue. And in 1921, the Red Line Company provided bus service from Roseland to Riverdale.

With the close of the 1920s, as farms and prairies began to disappear, the face of Riverdale began to change. But, the original pioneer spirit remained strong, and set it's sights towards the future and... "A Century of Pride".

In the twenties, the Branigar Brothers acquired the 465 acres of land that make up the subdivision of Ivanhoe. Their dream was to build a perfect little city. All improvements were made. Trees were planted, 144th Street was widened, and a parkway was constructed down the middle.
Through clever advertising, people were lured from Chicago via the Illinois Central Railroad to Ivanhoe. The visitors were offered free ice cream, soda, and gifts. As an added attraction, an armored knight rode through the street on a snowy white charger shouting "Ivanhoe the Beautiful."

Before the Branigars purchased the property, twenty-five foot lots sold for $55 to $250 each. The Branigars felt that lower priced lots would result in poor construction. The lots were purchased, subdivided into larger parcels, and restrictions were set up. Store sites were also set up. The Branigars offered rent at one dollar per year to anyone who would operate a store along 144th Street.

When the Great Depression struck in 1929, the building of homes and apartment buildings came to a standstill. Like the rest of the country, Riverdale felt the hardships that accompanied the Depression. Food and gas rationing went into effect, and unemployment rose to great heights.
When Franklin D. Roosevelt became president in 1933, he immediately launched a series of emergency measures to reorganize industry and agriculture through a great expenditure of public funds. This series of programs was called the New Deal.

One of the New Deal programs was the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.). Riverdale benefited from the W.P.A. as did the rest of the country. Funds and labor were used to construct a sewer and tunnel system, and the curbing and paving of streets. Other streets were improved and maintained under the program.

In 1936, as the Depression eased, Mills and Sons Realty Trust purchased much of the Branigar property. They planned to build 1,600 homes involving an expenditure of $10 million. The new homes were to range in price from $4,500 to $8,500 depending on the style.

In the late thirties there was a brief period of normalcy that allowed the village to grow socially. In 1936, Betty Robinson won the Olympic Gold Medal in the 400 meter relay events during the 1936 Olympics. Also during that year, Saint Mary's Church celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. In 1937, the Ivanhoe Women's Club organized the formation of Ivanhoe Park. From 1937 to 1939, Herbert Brewer was a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. And in 1939, the Riverdale-Dolton Lions Club was formed, and the Ivanhoe Civic Club was reorganized and incorporated.

The 1940 census revealed that the population of Riverdale was 2,865.

Unfortunately, the building boom that began during the late thirties was held back as the United States entered World War II in 1941. As the country entered the war, Riverdale was preparing to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary.

Click here to read more about the history of Riverdale on the Riverdale Library’s website.

Click here to see more historical photos of Riverdale.