The intersection of I-55 and Illinois Route 53, a major north-south road
in DuPage Township, became a stopping-off place for travelers after the
US government paved Route 66, the Mother Road, into four lanes in 1959.
West Hill Construction Company, or rather Mr. Dover, launched an
advertising campaign that promised housing developments for a youthful
population wanting their own home and wide-open spaces to raise
children. A 1960 plat map filed in Will County shows the first five lots
for Bolingbrook subdivision unit one along Route 53. Within five years,
Westbury, Colonial Village, and King's Park were built, and 5,000 people
accepted Mr. Dover's invitation to buy a home. Bolingbrook incorporated
five years later in October 1965. Today, 50 years later, Bolingbrook
contains 23,665 housing units spread over 25 square miles and is home to
a diverse population of 74,411. How Bolingbrook grew from Pathways of
the Past and Future to A Place to Grow is an interesting story to
celebrate.