The first settlers arrived in the 1850s. In 1883, Adolph Hegewisch, who headed the U.S. Rolling Stock Company, planned a model town beside a railroad. However, a fund shortage prevented its fulfillment, and the community fell far short of the projected number.
The neighborhood became part of Chicago in 1889. The Rolling Stock Company was merged with another company, and other investors set up steel mills. Soon after, settlers arrived to work in the factories.
The 1930s saw disputes between labor and management, and was marked by several incidents, including a bloody one in 1937 when strike-breaks fired on workers during a strike against Republic Steel, killing ten workers and injuring hundreds. The following decade saw the formation of United Steel Workers.
Steel mills formed the backbone of the economy for much of the 20th century. A downturn in the steel industry in the latter half of the century caused a population decline and led to a shift to other industries, railroads and casinos. A decline in population was offset by the entry of many Mexican Americans.
