Brookfield history

This Chicago suburb got its start back in the late 1800s when lawyer-turned real estate investor, Samual Gross, decided to purchase large pockets of land in the area. Gross wanted a place where working-class families would be able to settle down without breaking the bank. He lured his future homebuyers with promises of free train rides, picnic lunches and his persuasive background in law. Gross must've had his sales pitch nailed, because buyers took the bait and interest in the community spread at an unexpected rate. The new settlement was dubbed Grossdale, after Sam himself.

Before he began building homes, Gross constructed a train station, which now houses the Brookfield Historical Society. The tracks carry such a story that they've made the National Register of Historic Places. Gross' success didn't last long, though, and after residents realized his financial failures, they voted to incorporate and rename the city. In 1905 Grossdale became what we now refer to as Brookfield.

The suburb is located within 13 miles of Chicago and is accessible from Ogden Avenue (once known as Plank Toll Road) or the Stevenson Expressway (I-55), which runs parallel to the old thoroughfare. Plenty of city slickers follow these southwestward-leading routes out to Brookfield in order to go to the world-famous Chicago Zoological Park, commonly referred to as the Brookfield Zoo. It opened in the summer of 1934 and has become a destination spot for people from across the map. Brookfield Zoo's extensive educational programs and state-of-the-art research facility has given this suburb of 19,000 international fame and is what the village is best recognized for today. Although, we do think it's pretty cool Brookfield is one of the few places to house a replica of the Liberty Bell, fashioned from the exact mold of the original in Philadelphia.