A history of Summit,
since 1890
Postcards, papers and photographs of Summit from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The area around Summit has been hunted and traveled through for 12,000 years but only continuously occupied since 900 CE. When Europeans first arrived the area was inhabited or used by the Meskwaki, Illini, Miami, Sauk, and Chippewa-Ottawa-Potawatomi tribes.
In 1673, the Marquette-Joliet expedition arrived at the portage north of the city and went on to the location of Chicago. At that time the importance of a portage was noted. A local trading network developed from that time until the Native Americans were removed beginning in 1816.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Summit’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
4 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewFishermen at Summit, Ill's, 1900: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Summit
See all 6 →
Summit, decade by decade
1990s
CommonsI-55 south at IL 171 overpass - Summit, IL - August 20242024
CommonsI-55 south at IL 171 exit - Summit, IL - August 20242024
CommonsI-55 south at IL 171 distributor lanes - Summit, IL - Augus…2024
Commons20150725 22 IHB @ Argo2015
CommonsParker-Okafor opening jump ball at IHSA sectional champions…2013
CommonsCement silo2009
Commons59th street tank farm2009Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Fishermen at Summit, Ill's (1900) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (13) and the Library of Congress (3). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.