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West Chicago City Museum
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West Chicago City Museum
West Chicago: History of a Railroad Town
(Excerpted from A Brief History of An Old Railroad Town by Frank Scobey and Gerald Musich)
West Chicago is the first Illinois community created by the coming of the railroads. A few settlers owned property in the area of present -day West Chicago as early as the late 1830's. However, the town itself did not begin to form until 1849-1850, when the tracks of the new Galena & Chicago Union Railroad reached this area.
Because several railroads were the principal cause for the creation of West Chicago, a brief survey of the activities of those companies is in order. The G&CU (which eventually became the Chicago & Northwestern, now Union Pacific) was Chicago's first Railroad. It began laying track west out of Chicago in 1848, with the intention of reaching first the Fox River, then Rockford, then Freeport, and finally Galena. The railroad arrived in what is now West Chicago in November of 1849 and reached Elgin in February, 1850.
The decision to lay tracks directly northwest from West Chicago area to Elgin upset residents of the Fox River communities of Batavia, Geneva, and St. Charles. They Realized that the new railroads were going to transform the area.
The residents of St. Charles formed the St. Charles Branch Railroad in 1849. This line ran from St. Charles to a junction with the G&CU just north of present-day West Chicago. Another company built a 2 mile long track from St. Charles to Geneva, thus connecting Geneva, by way of the St. Charles Branch, with the G&CU at West Chicago.
Batavia and Aurora residents were involved in the building of a different railroad, the Aurora Branch. This line (which eventually became the Burlington) laid tracks from the West Chicago area and then Aurora in 1850.
Thus, by late 1850, three railroads joined at what is now West Chicago. Because so many trains met at this junction point, water and fuel facilities were built, as well as an eating house an hotel for travelers. Very quickly, a town formed, one that was known as Junction, Illinois.
By 1853, the G&CU halted the track-laying of its Chicago to Galena line at Freeport. The company decided instead to build a second mainline, running west from Junction to DeKalb and then Fulton, Illinois. Because its two mainlines met at Junction, the G&CU expanded its facilities here, building a 3 stall roundhouse and mill for repairing rails. As a result a number of new employees and their families located in the community.
John B. Turner, president of the G&CU an resident of Chicago, owned several acres of land in what is now the center of town. As more people settled in Junction, Turner recognized the chance to make a profit by platting his land an selling off lots. He therefore recorded the community's first plat in 1855 under the name of the Town of Junction. He also donated lots --one to the Congregational Church, another for an early school.
The community continued its growth, and in 1857 Dr. Joseph McConnell and his wife Mary platted a second portion of town, those lands lying just north of J.B. Turner's plat. The McConnells were early members of the Congregational Church and were deeply appreciative of Turner's donation of land to the congregation. Therefore, they chose to record their plat as the Town of Turner in honor of the railroad president. There now existed a platted Town of Turner and a platted Town of Junction, as a result, the community took on the same name of Turner Junction.
By the 1870's the community had taken on a substantial and permanent character, and so the residents incorporated it in 1873 as the Village of Turner. 850 residents lived within the boundaries of the new village.
The community continued to grow, this growth demanded increased services. In 1873 the community built a 3 story building to be used at the Turner Public School. A second school was added in 1887. In 1884 the village authorized the construction of a 3 story Town Hall (now the Museum building). The building was to be a multi-purpose facility housing the fire department, police department and the village council chambers.
The arrival of yet another railroad in the late 1880's brought about great change in the economy of the town. The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern offered free factory sites along its route to create demand for its freight service. Developers added to the effort to attract new industry by promoting the community as a thriving Chicago suburb which offered great opportunities for business investment. The change of the Village name to West Chicago in 1896 was part of this effort to attract business.
As new business located here, the demand for housing grew. This development was further promoted by the arrival of the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago (later the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin). This railroad became a popular commuter line allowing people to live in the suburbs an work and shop in Chicago.
In 1904, responding to the growing population, High School District 94 was formed, and in 1908 a new school building was built, known as Washington School. In August, 1906 the village was reincorporated as the City of West Chicago.
Growth continued through the early decades of the twentieth century. In 1926 a new high school building was constructed. By 1930 the City's population had reached 3,477. The depression of the 1930's, however, caused a dramatic slow down in development and the City's population actually decreased slightly. The CA&E railroad abandoned services to the City an the City Hall was opened at night to provide shelter for the homeless.
When America entered World War II, the town experienced new growth. Several local industries were involved in war production. Among these was Howard Aircraft which built training aircraft and an air ambulance dubbed the Nightingale. The prosperity of the post war years also caused dramatic expansion in population. The 1950 Census showed the City at 3,973 residents which grew to 6,839 in 1960. By 1980 the City was home to 12,500.
The story of West Chicago is a long and colorful one. We invite you to check out the students research section on this site for more detailed information about specific topics in the City' past.
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1997
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