[1] In the earliest years of the 20th century, the East Chicago Company subdivided the 70-acre Washington Park tract and built homes there.

[4] The land company used its growing political clout to steer public improvements, such as sewer and water lines, to the neighborhood.

[5] Early investors in the neighborhood included figures associated with the feared "Indiana Harbor mob," which was linked to the Al Capone syndicate in Chicago as well as to John Dillinger.

[6][7] These figures included Lake County judge William Murray and East Chicago attorney Hymie Cohen.

[6] Several adjacent north-south streets in the neighborhood are named for trees and plants, including the fir, elm, and deodar.