From the August 10, 2014, Chicago Tribune "Montgomery Ward deserves our gratitude" by Ron Grossman.
On summer days, thousands of people visit and enjoy Chicago's magnificent lake front, but it almost wasn't to be as developers sought the land, but one store owner, businessman had the foresight back in the late 1800s to save it. That man was Montgomery Ward.
That's right, the Montgomery Ward that those of us who are older remember was a big department store chain. It was the man who pioneered mail-order retailing.
Four times between 1897 and 1910, the Illinois Supreme Court upheld Ward's contention that Chicago's lakefront should be parkland. Ward felt that this land should be "forever open, clear and free."
Four years before his death in 1913, Montgomery Ward told the Tribune: "Had I known in 1890 how long it would take me to preserve a park for the people against their will, I doubt if I would have undertaken it. Perhaps I may yet see the public appreciate my effort. Bit I doubt it."
They Didn't back Then, But Sure Do Now (If They Can Afford the Parking Meters). --Cooter
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