|
|
Post by toshiko on Sept 20, 2004 12:23:40 GMT -6
I'm takin a chance here. I am looking for old photos of Garfield, Illinois and its surrounding area. My grandparents lived out there for a really long time. Hopefully I could get one of their old homestead. It is no longer there. I have a painted portrait of it and would love to have the origanal to go w/ it. tia
|
|
|
|
Post by The Alton Route on Sept 23, 2004 19:55:10 GMT -6
I bet any photos of Garfield are hard to come by. Ralph Plumb was involved in the building of the first railroad into Streator. A railway worker camp along the line was named after a friend of Plumb, future president James A. Garfield.
I know for a fact that the hamlet had a post office in the old days. I remember a postcard for sale on e-bay with the postmark "Garfield, Illinois." According to an old official railway guide, in 1941 it was still a regular stop for mixed passenger service on the Alton's old Dwight-Washington line.
Munster had a depot in the old days. Perhaps Garfield did too?
I've always found the histories of little towns like Garfield interesting. Usually places like that are just names on a map, sometimes the last vestiges of long-vanished railroads.
|
|
|
|
Post by John on Sept 23, 2004 20:04:26 GMT -6
I've always found the histories of little towns like Garfield interesting. Usually places like that are just names on a map, sometimes the last vestiges of long-vanished railroads. Ah yes, such as the hump in the road called Wilsman. Remnants of the CB&Q from Streator to LaSalle.  |
|
|
|
Post by The Alton Route on Sept 23, 2004 22:10:59 GMT -6
Actually, a long-dead relative of mine named Abby Conness owned the Wilsman Elevator.
Have you ever heard of a place called Eylar? There are a few abandoned houses there and a boarded-up church. Eylar was a station in Livingston County on the old Illinois Central Minonk Jct-Griswold line.
|
|
|
|
Post by Guest on Sept 24, 2004 1:56:56 GMT -6
Those Conness people were, and are, loaded. They came to Eagle Township in the 1830's and bought up a lot of land. They still own a lot of it today.
|
|
|
|
Post by John on Sept 24, 2004 5:49:24 GMT -6
Aerial view of Wilsman. You can see the diagonal scar left in the fields from the old roadbed of the CB&Q Railroad.  |
|
|
|
Post by toshiko on Sept 24, 2004 7:56:46 GMT -6
Thanx for responding. You all have given me some ideas. I am related to many of the families out in Eagle myself. Never even thought about getting a hold of some of the oldtimers. I know Garfield had the grain elevator next to the trax, too. Not sure if there was a store. I will check w/ mom. thanx again |
|
|
|
Post by The Alton Route on Sept 24, 2004 11:45:34 GMT -6
Yes, indeed. My great-great-great grandfather Luke Conness was born in County Galway, Ireland in the early 1800s. He's buried right out at Eagle Cemetery. Those Conness people were, and are, loaded. They came to Eagle Township in the 1830's and bought up a lot of land. They still own a lot of it today. |
|
|
|
Post by Guess on Sept 24, 2004 12:02:05 GMT -6
My best friend in grade school, Bob Conness, moved to Florida after his freshman year at SHS. He is a vet; his brother is a lawyer. Bob comes into town once a year at harvest time.
|
|
|
|
Post by John on Oct 5, 2004 18:11:16 GMT -6
Have you ever heard of a place called Eylar? There are a few abandoned houses there and a boarded-up church. Eylar was a station in Livingston County on the old Illinois Central Minonk Jct-Griswold line. Yes, Eylar is at the intersection of E 1900 Rd N & N 2500 Rd E in Livingston County to the east of Pontiac. I also like Manville, on the old Wabash Line. |
|
|
|
Post by Blue Star7 on Oct 5, 2004 20:07:55 GMT -6
That must be the RR I mentioned in another thread, about swimming off an old trestle. It was n/w of Manville on Apples property. I Didn't rember what line it was.
|
|
|
|
Post by John on Oct 5, 2004 21:05:24 GMT -6
That must be the RR I mentioned in another thread, about swimming off an old trestle. It was n/w of Manville on Apples property. I Didn't rember what line it was. This may have been the creek that you swam in. The diagonal "scar" in the landscape is the old Wabash roadbed. You can see where it crosses the creek just NW of Manville. The roadway running across the top of this photo is Route 17.  |
|
|
|
Post by The Alton Route on Oct 5, 2004 21:39:49 GMT -6
Do you have any aerial photos over the Eylar area? I wonder whether you can make out the old IC branch line from the sky.
Selected Passenger Schedule For this line, July 2, 1922:
Leave Chicago - 7:00 am
arrive Kankakee - 9:20 am
arrive Kempton 10:45
arrive Pontiac 12:30 pm
depart Pontiac 2:30 pm
arrive Flanagan 3:50 pm
arrive Minonk Junction 4:20 pm
arrive Minonk 4:45 pm
depots at Kempton, Pontiac, Graymont, Flanagan, Minonk
|
|
|
|
Post by Blue Star7 on Oct 6, 2004 2:37:30 GMT -6
You are truly amazing Butch! Thats the place, with the road to Manville on the left.
Wow! You must have thousands pf pictures to be able to produce the ones we discuss here, so readily!
|
|
|
|
Post by John on Oct 6, 2004 9:31:39 GMT -6
Do you have any aerial photos over the Eylar area? I wonder whether you can make out the old IC branch line from the sky. As far as I can make out, this should be Eylar, Illinois. It is about 2 miles west of Saunemin. Did the tracks run east - west? If so, the old roadbed should be the line just on the north edge of this town, along the tree line. Trees often grew along old roadbeds that were left unused.  |
|
