Complex sentence: Much of the area was settled in the early 19th century by surveyors plotting roadways from the East and used as a vacation spot by wealthy Chicagoans displaced by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Split into simpler sentences: Much of the surrounding area was settled in the early 19th century by surveyors plotting roadways from the East. It was a vacation spot for wealthy Chicagoans displaced by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.