Northfield (Images of America)

In 1926, railroad and electric power tycoon Samuel Insull held a contest to name a station on the Skokie Valley Electric Line that the locals already called the Skokie Swamp. The winning name? Wau Bun, a Potawatomi word meaning “dawn” and also the name of a noted Potawatomi chief from the late 1700s. But the residents of Skokie Swamp hated the name and plotted their revenge. Three years later, as Insull was on a train pulling into the station, he was horrified to discover that vandals had taken it upon themselves to rename the station Hot Bun. Insull and the locals compromised, and the more neutral moniker of Northfield was adopted. The Skokie Valley Electric Line has long since been closed, and popular legend holds that Insull died penniless and alone in Paris. But the town of Northfield has survived and thrived. Once a loose affiliation of farms, Northfield is now a quiet suburb that has enviable schools, beautiful homes, and gorgeous landscapes.