As the community developed, a small portion became known as "No Man's Land," as it was at this site that fireworks, illegal in other localities, were sold. Wilmette attained further notoriety in 1860, when a lumber schooner struck the Lady Elgin and 293 people died. Dramatic changes took place from 1908-1910 when the Chicago Sanitary District experimented with a new waterway system. The landfills created by this work were later transformed into Gilson Park Beach. The site is an exclusive residential area with many old homes on large acreages. | As the community developed, a small portion became known as "No Man's Land," as it was at this site that fireworks, illegal in other localities, were sold. Wilmette attained further notoriety in 1860, when a lumber schooner struck the Lady Elgin and 293 people died. Dramatic changes took place from 1908-1910 when the Chicago Sanitary District experimented with a new waterway system. The landfills created by this work were later transformed into Gilson Park Beach. The site is an exclusive residential area with many old homes on large acreages. |