West Dundee
type: place title: West Dundee last_updated: 2026-06-07 sources: - 1914-06-30_chronicling-america_image-32-of-the-day-book-chica-p32-west-dundee.md
West Dundee
West Dundee is a village in Kane County, Illinois, situated on the Fox River. A twin community to East Dundee, it developed as a commercial and residential center during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The village suffered a significant setback in June 1914 when a major fire caused widespread destruction to its business district.
History
The Fire of 1914
On June 30, 1914, a major fire swept through West Dundee, threatening what contemporary reports described as the near-total destruction of the village. The blaze caused an estimated $300,000 in total damage, making it one of the most destructive events in the village's recorded history. (Source: 1914-06-30_chronicling-america_image-32-of-the-day-book-chica-p32-west-dundee.md)
The Hall Company, a department store owned by C. F. Hall, was among the most significant losses, sustaining damage reported at $100,000. Multiple other businesses were destroyed in the fire, including the Elgin Jeweler. Residents of properties above the commercial storefronts were forced to evacuate; among those displaced was Mrs. William Jeffley, who reportedly fled from her residence above the Elgin Jeweler. (Source: 1914-06-30_chronicling-america_image-32-of-the-day-book-chica-p32-west-dundee.md)
The extent of the damage and the scale of evacuation suggest the fire burned through a substantial portion of the central business district, though the full scope of structures lost has not been fully documented in sources presently available to this wiki.
Notable Associations
- C. F. Hall — Owner of the Hall Company department store, which was destroyed in the West Dundee Fire of 1914.
- Mrs. William Jeffley — Resident evacuated from above the Elgin Jeweler during the 1914 fire.
- The Day Book (Chicago, Ill.), June 30, 1914, Last Edition, Image 32. Library of Congress / Chronicling America. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045487/1914-06-30/ed-2/?sp=32 — File: `1914-06-30_chronicling-america_image-32-of-the-day-book-chica-p32-west-dundee.md`
Sources