Lansing, Illinois, is a village that is "proud of its past, confident in its future," according to the signs at its entrance. That proud past began in the 1840s, when Dutch and German settlers first made their way to the area. The town was named for Henry Lansing, who came to the area in 1846 with his brothers, John and George. Through the medium of historic photographs, this book captures the evolution of the people of Lansing, from the late-1800s to the present day. These pages bring to life the people, events, communities, and industries that helped to shape and transform Lansing. With nearly 200 vintage images, Lansing, Illinois, includes photographs of the Indiana Avenue School, the Brickyards, the Ford Airport, and early businesses and business owners. It is hard to imagine Ridge Road, now a bustling center of commerce, as a dirt road scattered with general stores, taverns, and blacksmith shops. This book will take you back to Lansing's simpler days to give the reader a glimpse of why this community has maintained its appeal and held generations of families here in this warm and friendly place.

Lansing, Illinois, is a village that is "proud of its past, confident in its future," according to the signs at its entrance. That proud past began in the 1840s, when Dutch and German settlers first made their way to the area. The town was named for Henry Lansing, who came to the area in 1846 with his brothers, John and George. Through the medium of historic photographs, this book captures the evolution of the people of Lansing, from the late-1800s to the present day. These pages bring to life the people, events, communities, and industries that helped to shape and transform Lansing. With nearly 200 vintage images, Lansing, Illinois, includes photographs of the Indiana Avenue School, the Brickyards, the Ford Airport, and early businesses and business owners. It is hard to imagine Ridge Road, now a bustling center of commerce, as a dirt road scattered with general stores, taverns, and blacksmith shops. This book will take you back to Lansing's simpler days to give the reader a glimpse of why this community has maintained its appeal and held generations of families here in this warm and friendly place.

About the Book The Village of Lansing and Its Airport is a history of how the Lansing Airport was developed into what it is today. This story looks at the fascinating and often underappreciated ways that it served the people of the Village of Lansing and the entire Chicago Southland. While the book tells the history of events in the airport’s development, it also provides a guided virtual tour through the pages of history and gives the reader an opportunity to participate as if they were actually reliving the experiences. The book is designed to revitalize the planned development of the airport in a format not typical of a historical memoir. About the Author Robert R. Malkas currently resides in Lansing, Illinois. When he first moved there, he went to sleep every night under the first ever airport rotating beacon atop Henry Ford’s Hangar at the Chicago Hammond airport. He came to believe he was being sent a message from Henry Ford himself about his contributions to the history of aviation in the United States. Malkas accepted this challenge and became the first chairman of a village commission assigned the task of managing the Lansing Airport’s growth. He was later appointed airport manager and served in that position for twenty-three years until his retirement in 2008.

Lansing was settled in the 1840s by German and Dutch immigrants. Farming, then the railroad, played major roles in the growth of the village. The brickyards left a lasting impact on the community, as did Henry Ford's airport hangar, which still stands today. The schools produced figures who have become well known outside Lansing, such as Major League Baseball outfielder Curtis Granderson, who has won a Silver Slugger award and joined baseball's elite 20-20-20-20 club. The community has been blessed with caring and dedicated educators like Hal Gronewald and Durward Shuetz, whose reach extended beyond the classroom. Lansing has also raised war heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country--men like August Olsen and Philip Martini. Many other heroes have served and protected at home, including Kenneth Novak Jr., Lansing's only police officer to die in the line of duty.