The building of the Burlington Northern railroad in 1863 spurred the development of the small town of Crawford which was later annexed to Chicago in 1869 and extended Chicago's western boundary from Western Avenue to what is now Pulaski Road. Douglas Park, a laboratory for world famous landscape architect Jens Jensen, lies on the eastern end of the corridor. A railroad again spurred the development of Lawndale when the Douglas branch of the City's elevated Blue line was built in 1890. Russian Jews were the dominant people group and the population grew to over 112,000 in the 1930s. In the 1950s, Lawndale became a main port of entry for African Americans migrating from the south. By 1960, the population had reached an all-time high of 125,000, 90% of which was African American. The riots of the late 1960s, coupled with the loss of 80% of the area's manufacturing jobs in the 1970s, fueled the loss of businesses and residents. The latest census figures put Lawndale's population at 41,768. 94% of the population is African American and 5% is Latino.