Orchard Place, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Orchard Place
Neighborhood
Orchard Place Location in Illinois
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Postal code	XXXXX
Area code(s)	XXX

Orchard Place was a small community in Cook County, Illinois. It was located just west of the big city of Chicago. This area started in the early 1900s. It was mostly farmland with many fruit orchards, which is how it got its name. Orchard Place slowly grew into a quiet place where people lived.

In the 1940s, Orchard Place changed a lot. A military airfield called Orchard Place Airport was built there during World War II. This airfield later became a commercial airport. Today, it is known as O'Hare International Airport. It is one of the busiest airports in the world! Because the airport grew so much, Orchard Place eventually became part of other towns.

The Story of Orchard Place

Orchard Place was first settled by German immigrants in the 1840s. Before 1886, it was known as Farwell. The name changed to Orchard Place in 1886. A Post Office opened there in 1881. It also changed its name in 1886. The Post Office closed in 1935. Orchard Place became a stop on the Wisconsin Central Railroad in 1887.

How Orchard Field Began

In 1942, a large area of farmland was bought. It was southwest of Higgins and Mannheim Roads. The War Production Board bought it to build a new air base. They also built a factory to make airplanes. The Douglas Aircraft built large cargo planes there. These planes were called C-54 "Skymaster" planes.

The place was named Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field. Four runways were built to help deliver the planes. During the war, fighter planes were also stored there. After World War II, the Douglas factory stopped making planes. In 1946, the U.S. Government gave 1,080 acres of the airport land to the City of Chicago.

The city decided this spot was perfect for future air travel needs. They bought more land and renamed the airport Orchard Field. In 1949, the airport became Chicago O'Hare International Airport. It was named after Lieutenant Commander Edward "Butch" O'Hare. He was a U.S. Navy flying hero and received the Medal of Honor.

Before 1950, much of the land in Orchard Place was divided into smaller lots for homes. A network of streets was built, though they were not paved at first. This area was mostly between Touhy Avenue (north), River Road (east), Devon Avenue and Higgins Road (south), and Mannheim Road (west). The airport was southwest of the Mannheim/Devon intersection.

The building of the Northwest Tollway in the mid-1950s changed these borders a bit. The tollway became a barrier. It separated Orchard Place from the airport area. In 1956, the community voted to join the City of Des Plaines. This process is called annexation.

Orchard Place Today

Today, the area that was once Orchard Place is the southernmost neighborhood of Des Plaines. Only one house from the original community is still standing. You can find it at the south end of Curtiss Street. It is across from the Buckhorn Trailer Park. This house used to sit on a large piece of land. Half of that land was used for the expressway. The house itself was moved about 24 feet north.

The original name of Orchard Place still lives on. The airport code for O'Hare is (FAA LID: ORD). Also, there is an Orchard Place Elementary School.