Huntley was founded in 1851. Its first boom years--the 1850s to 1920s--saw the town prosper thanks to the local dairy industry. Prolific dairy farmers provided milk for the many local condensing plants and cheese factories and sent huge surpluses into Chicago by train each day. It was said that the Huntley area produced more milk per square mile than anywhere else in the world. Businesses, homes, and churches all grew with the population. Village founders, movers and shakers of a century and more ago, as well as everyday workers and village residents are captured here in vintage images, showing what life was like in Huntley in years gone by.
