Category Archives: Transportation

Springfield in 1939, according to the Federal Writers Project

Posted on June 10, 2019 by editor

Editor: This entry, originally published in 2014, has been revised and expanded. Illinois: A Descriptive and Historical Guide was part of the American Guide series, which profiled each of the then-existing 48 states during the 1930s. The American Guides were … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Communities, Depression, Historic Sites, Histories, Illinois capital, Lincoln, Abraham, Maps, Markers, Springfield, Transportation | 2 Comments

New Deal projects, 1930s

Posted on January 23, 2019 by editor

Thousands of people clogged downtown Springfield on June 30, 1939, celebrating the fact that streetcar tracks no longer crisscrossed Monroe Street. The giant festival, which included three bands, a jitterbug contest and appearances by city officials, was the climax of … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Buildings, Celebrations, Depression, Local government, Social services, Transportation | 2 Comments

‘Rags,’ the interurban mascot

Posted on January 17, 2019 by editor

Rags, a brown, curly-haired mutt with a habit of hopping trains, spent a happy half-dozen years as central Illinois’ “mascot of the interurban.” Like modern dogs riding in autos, Rags somehow learned that it was fun to joyride on a … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Transportation | 1 Comment

The Sangamon River

Posted on September 26, 2018 by editor

In 1831, a new Illinois county was formed from parts of Madison and Bond counties. The new county was named for the river that bisected it: the Sangamon. The headwater of the Sangamon River is a small stream emerging from … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Farming, Mills, Prehistory, Sangamon River, Sports and recreation, Transportation | Leave a comment

Twelve Mile House

Posted on March 22, 2018 by editor

Twelve Mile House was an inn, stagecoach stop and post office in the early 19th century. It later became one of the landmarks used when Illinois officials designed the highway that became Route 66 and then Interstate 55. Where, exactly, … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Early residents, Historic Sites, Hotels & taverns, Maps, Transportation | 3 Comments

Two Mile House

Posted on March 22, 2018 by editor

Two Mile House was an 1840s inn that became Sangamon County’s first poorhouse. It also was the scene in 1849 of a possum hunt that went wrong. Two Mile House got its name because it was about two miles from … Continue reading →

Posted in Hotels & taverns, Maps, Transportation | 3 Comments

Brainerd Hill (West Lawrence Avenue)

Posted on July 23, 2017 by editor

Brainerd Hill, now Springfield’s favorite sledding spot, once was the ultimate challenge for the city’s competitive bicycle community. Springfield “wheelmen” organized the Capital City Cycling Club in the fall of 1887 to sponsor a variety of bicycling events, foster competition … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Parks, Prominent figures, Social life, Sports and recreation, Transportation, Women | 3 Comments

Springfield traffic rules, 1903

Posted on June 1, 2017 by editor

Springfield officials enacted the city’s first ordinance regulating automobiles in 1903, only three years after motorcars were introduced to the city. The rules went into effect on Dec. 3, 1903. The ordinance set a speed limit of 12 miles per … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Springfield, Transportation | Leave a comment

Last Springfield street car, 1938 (photos)

Posted on May 26, 2017 by editor

The last Springfield street car ran on the North Fifth Street route the evening of Jan. 1, 1938, leaving city streets thereafter to automobiles and Springfield Transportation Co. buses. The North Fifth street car went from Fifth and Monroe streets … Continue reading →

Posted in Photos and photosets, Transportation | Leave a comment

Mail robbery, 1923, ‘most daring ever’

Posted on May 22, 2017 by editor

Ten men eventually went to prison for a 1923 mail robbery the Illinois State Journal called “the most daring ever staged in this city.” The gang struck at 1:20 a.m. April 1, 1923, at the Chicago & Alton railway station … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Railroads, Transportation | 9 Comments