In a pickle

 Gage Park was once the home of the Claussen pickle. In fact the mansion still stands on Western Ave. Mr. Claussen designed most of the buildings himself and built a windmill to generate electricity. His plan was to be self sustaining and it paid off through two World wars. The factory was built at 5145 S. Western Ave. He also built a 3 story, 37 room apartment building at 5133 S. Western to house his whole family. Horses were used to transfer pickles from rail cars to a dozen or more buildings for aging and processing. Horses plowed acres of land on which beets and dill weed were grown. They also had cucumber and cabbage patches. At one time they kept 32 horses in barns on the property. Even as late as the 1950’s horses were still used to pull Claussen Company wooden wagons to make neighborhood deliveries just to keep their identity known. The company has since moved to Woodstock Illinois and is now owned by Kraft Foods. In 1932 Mr. Claussen died at Little Company of Mary Hospital from injuries suffered when he was struck by an automobile at 110th