Wheaton’s history begins in the early 1830s when brothers Warren and Jesse Wheaton, along with Erastus Gary, claimed land in the area following the displacement of the native Potawatomi people. The community’s trajectory changed forever in 1848 when the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad laid tracks through the settlement, connecting the remote farming community directly to Chicago.
In 1853, the founders donated a parcel of land to the Illinois Institute, which was subsequently renamed Wheaton College in 1860 in honor of Warren Wheaton. The college not only brought education and prestige to the area but also served as a prominent stop on the Underground Railroad under the leadership of abolitionist Jonathan Blanchard.
One of the most colorful chapters in Wheaton's history was the "County Seat War" in the late 1860s. Following a controversial referendum, the county seat of DuPage was moved from Naperville to Wheaton. A group of Wheatonites famously raided the Naperville courthouse at night to retrieve the county records, firmly establishing Wheaton as the center of county government by 1867. The town flourished over the 20th century, transitioning from a quiet railroad village into one of Chicago’s most desirable and affluent western suburbs.
