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43-532: The Suburban Line was built in 1870 as a steam dummy line, splitting from the main line just north of 99th Street, running west along 99th and turning south to the present line at the S-curve just south of 99th. The crossing of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway midway along 99th was known as Dummy Crossing. In the early 1890s the line was extended north to 89th Street in conjunction with

86-621: A Republican-leaning swing county, more competitive than most in urbanized Northern Illinois. In its early years, LaSalle County supported the Democratic Party, being southwest of the Free Soil strongholds in the far northeast of the state. Following the formation of the Republican party, LaSalle County voted for that party in every election until 1884, when it supported Democrat Grover Cleveland three consecutive times. Although

129-855: A desire to electrify and modernize the line if funding became available. In October of 2023, Metra announced the order of 16 lightweight Stadler FLIRT Akku electric multiple unit trainsets that would likely be used on the Beverly Branch. They could be used to increase frequency and speed. As of September 7, 2021, Metra operates 80 trains (40 inbound and 40 outbound) on the Rock Island District on weekdays, with 21 trains providing roundtrip service to and from Joliet , three to and from Tinley Park - 80th Avenue , and 16 to and from Blue Island-Vermont Street . Between Gresham and Blue Island, all trains terminating at Blue Island as well as four evening through-trains to and from Joliet operate via

172-443: A household in the county was $ 60,069 and the median income for a family was $ 72,583. Males had a median income of $ 50,214 versus $ 26,424 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 31,020. About 9.7% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line , including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over. LaSalle County is divided into thirty-seven townships : LaSalle has generally been

215-568: Is a county located within the Fox Valley and Illinois River Valley regions of the U.S. state of Illinois . As of the 2020 Census , it had a population of 109,658. Its county seat and largest city is Ottawa . LaSalle County is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area of Northern Illinois . LaSalle County borders Woodford, Marshall, Putnam, Bureau, Livingston, Lee, DeKalb, Kendall, and Grundy counties. Though LaSalle County

258-464: Is in the Chicago media market, it retains a unique identity with a mix of river towns and vast expanses of farmland. The county lies at the intersection of the Chicago, Peoria, Quad Cities and Rockford television markets with all four regions broadcasting within its borders and having a strong influence on the area, despite the county being only 60 miles (97 km) southwest of Chicago. LaSalle County

301-588: Is now LaSalle County. The Congregational Church has subsequently gone through many divisions, and some factions, including those in LaSalle County, are now known as the Church of Christ and the United Church of Christ . As a result of this heritage, the vast majority of inhabitants in LaSalle County − much like antebellum New England − were overwhelmingly in favor of the abolitionist movement during

344-534: Is the crown jewel. Matthiessen State Park (south of Starved Rock on Ill 178) has many of the same features of Starved Rock, but is smaller, and faces the Vermilion River to the west. Buffalo Rock State Park (east of Utica, and west of Naplate/Ottawa on Dee Bennett Road) has an enclosure which features American bison , as well as the mound sculpture complex, known as the Effigy Tumuli. The village

387-774: The Chicago and North Western Railway began operating the Rock Island District (the Rock Island also ceased operations that year.) In spring 1981 the C&;NW stepped away, and the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra) was formed to take over operations. Through freight trains on the line are operated by CSX and Iowa Interstate Railroad on a trackage rights agreement. In addition, Chicago Rail Link has rights to operate local freight service on

430-651: The Illinois River in present-day Tazewell County, and in 1683, they constructed Fort St. Louis on Starved Rock in present-day LaSalle County. By 1857, the county was served by the daily arrivals of two trains of the Illinois Central Railroad . As William D. Boyce reportedly founded the Boy Scouts of America in Ottawa, the council is named for him. He and two other founders established

473-745: The Illinois and Michigan Canal . Reddick served as sheriff for four consecutive two-year terms. After being elected to the Illinois State Senate , Reddick commissioned the construction of a luxurious Italianate home, now known as the Reddick Mansion . This structure is one of the largest surviving pre- Civil War homes in Illinois. The mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, as part of

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516-616: The Revolutionary War . New Englanders and New England transplants from upstate New York were the vast majority of LaSalle County's inhabitants during the first several decades of its history. These settlers were primarily members of the Congregational Church , though due to the Second Great Awakening , many of them had converted to Methodism , and some had become Baptists before coming to what

559-541: The Washington Park Historic District . The tri-county area of DeKalb, LaSalle, and Kendall has been influential in terms of its politics, sports, multimedia, industry, and technology. DeKalb County was the birthplace of plant hybridization (DeKalb, DeKalb Agricultural ), the hot-air hand dryer (Sandwich, Sahara-Pak), and is the home of supermodel Cindy Crawford , at least 7 MLB players, two NFL coaches, and three NFL players. LaSalle County

602-437: The 45,089 households, 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.9% were non-families, and 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 42.1 years. For every 100 females there were 101.4 males. The median income for

645-536: The BSA, but Boyce is given the sole credit since his faction of the BSA adopted the other two competing factions' elements within the organization. LaSalle County is within what is called the Lowaneu District of the W.D. Boyce Council. In 1838, William Reddick , a local farmer and landowner, was elected sheriff of LaSalle County. He was hired to restore public order resulting from an influx of workmen creating

688-541: The Borschsenius family, runs the Norway Store in the unincorporated community of Norway, in southern Mission Township, and the family has been deeply involved with businesses and the school district of nearby Serena and Sheridan. Ottawa was the first site of the famous Lincoln–Douglas debates on August 21, 1858. The community has a strong association with the 16th President, and elements of the downtown area of

731-646: The Bronzeville neighborhood. The Englewood Flyover, an overpass located in the Chicago neighborhood of Englewood , eliminated delays for the Rock Island. The overpass replaced a diamond crossing with the Norfolk Southern 's Chicago Line . The overpass proposed by Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE), which cost $ 142 million to construct, was completed in October 2014. In recent years, Metra has expressed

774-513: The Civil War was such that many German immigrants joined Illinois regiments during the war. In the late 1880s and early 1890s, Irish and German migrants began moving into LaSalle County; most of these later immigrants did not move directly from Ireland and Germany , but rather from other areas in the Midwest where they had been living, particularly the state of Ohio . Immigrants around

817-856: The English Puritans who settled New England in the 1600s. The completion of the Erie Canal caused a surge in New England immigration to what was then the Northwest Territory . The end of the Black Hawk War led to an additional surge of immigration, once again coming almost exclusively from the six New England states as a result of overpopulation combined with land shortages in that region. Some of these later settlers were from upstate New York and had parents who had moved to that region from New England shortly after

860-736: The Peterstown, Troy Grove, Meriden, Mendota, and Earlville area were largely of German descent, with the Mendota area directly being the epicenter of the German community in the county. Norwegian population has been strong in the area around Northville, Serena, Mission, and Miller Townships in LaSalle County, along with Little Rock and Fox Townships in Kendall County, and Sandwich and Somonauk Townships in DeKalb County. One such family,

903-466: The Rock Island District. The six express trains that operate on both Saturday and Sunday run express from 35th Street to Blue Island-Vermont Street via the main line before making all stops to Joliet, bypassing the suburban branch entirely. Local trains run as well, making all stops on the suburban branch and terminating at Blue Island-Vermont Street. This cuts about 20 minutes off the trips from Blue Island to downtown. On August 23, 2015, Metra announced that

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946-641: The Rock Island, as well as the Metra Electric District , were cut in half for all passengers as part of a pilot program. From 2014-2019 annual ridership declined from 8,544,753 to 7,338,133, an overall decline of 14.1%. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , ridership dropped to 1,952,547 passengers in 2020 and 1,669,273 passengers in 2021. The entire branch is in Cook County, Illinois . Steam dummy A steam dummy or dummy engine , in

989-662: The United States and Canada, was a steam locomotive enclosed in a wooden box structure made to resemble a passenger railroad car . Steam dummies had some popularity in the first decades of railroading in the U.S., from the 1830s but passed from favor after the American Civil War . It was thought that the more familiar appearance of a coach presented by a steam dummy, as compared to a conventional steam locomotive, would be less likely to frighten horses when these trains had to operate in city streets. Later it

1032-504: The city retain much mid-19th century architecture. People in LaSalle County were predominantly abolitionist in attitude, and many Underground Railroad sites were maintained in the county prior to the American Civil War . Utica (officially North Utica ) is considered the gateway to the Starved Rock area. Visiting three parks provides a full experience of the area. Starved Rock State Park , (south of Utica on Illinois Route 178 ),

1075-558: The counties along the canal route. Ottawa and LaSalle County had a large Irish population due to the importance of Ottawa as a trade and industrial center on the canal. The election of the LaSalle County sheriff hinged on the Irish vote when a New Englander Woodruff was replaced as sheriff by William Reddick a successful Irish landowner following Woodruff's role in putting down a riot along the canal in 1837. Irish and German immigration to LaSalle County, especially LaSalle. Ottawa and Peru prior to

1118-418: The county was 85.6% white, 2.4% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 3.6% from other races, and 7.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 10.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.8% were German , 18.0% were Irish , 8.7% were Italian , 8.1% were English , 7.6% were Polish , 4.4% were Norwegian , 3.8% were American , and 3.1% were French . Of

1161-599: The decades leading up to the Civil War . When the New Englanders arrived in what is now LaSalle County, there was nothing but dense virgin forest and wild prairie. They laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes. In 1834, Norwegian immigrants settled in the northwest corner of the county. The construction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal brought thousands of Irish and Irish-American workers to Illinois. Many settled in

1204-546: The expansion of the Chicago Terminal Transfer Railroad , and the portion on 99th was removed. The track is owned by Metra , bought from the bankrupt Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad for $ 35 million in December 1982 (equivalent to $ 111 million in 2023). The Regional Transportation Authority had signed a contract with the Rock Island in 1976 to fund service, and in 1980

1247-428: The fourth-largest by total area. LaSalle County, Illinois, is one of the few counties in the United States to border as many as nine counties. Illinois has two such counties, with Pike County being the other. Many of the residents of LaSalle County live in cities and towns along the Illinois River . It is the main population core, with some exceptions, including Streator to the south of the county. Large cities along

1290-563: The mechanism were optional. Operating speeds between 15 and 25 miles per hour (24 and 40 km/h) were reported by 19th-century users. In the UK, the Great Western Railway equipped two engines each from the 2021 and 517 classes with coach bodywork between 1906 and 1911. This steam locomotive-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . LaSalle County, Illinois LaSalle County

1333-452: The other six Joliet through-trains in each direction remain on the mainline. On Sundays, Metra operates 28 trains (14 roundtrips), eight to and from Joliet, and six to and from Blue Island. All six Blue Island short-turn trains as well as two through-trains to and from Joliet operate over the suburban branch, while the other six Joliet through-trains in each direction remain on the mainline. In June 2015, Metra began weekend express service on

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1376-645: The precursor to the International Harvester Company ), the plastic tackle box and plastic-injection molding, and is the home of multiple athletes, politicians, and a former Speaker of the House of Representatives . DeKalb, LaSalle, and Kendall Counties have all been featured in major films, with scripts either having been written by residents or former residents. LaSalle County was founded largely by immigrants from New England . These were old stock Yankee immigrants, who were descended from

1419-660: The river include Ottawa, LaSalle, Peru, and Marseilles. The regions north and south of the Illinois River are mostly agricultural, including the Fox River portion of the county, and have few large towns. In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Ottawa have ranged from a low of 12 °F (−11 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C)

1462-425: The suburban branch, while all other trains remain on the mainline. On Saturdays, Metra operates 33 trains (16 inbound and 17 outbound) on the line, with 10 roundtrips to and from Joliet, six roundtrips to and from Blue Island, and an additional outbound train to Joliet. The Blue Island short-turn trains, as well as four inbound and five outbound through-trains to and from Joliet operate over the suburban branch, while

1505-415: The term "noiseless steam street motor" in their 20th-century catalog, although they used the term "dummy" (in quotes) in the 19th century. In the 20th century, they offered 0-4-0 and 0-4-2 wheel arrangements. In the 19th century, they also offered a double-ended dummy with a 2-4-2 wheel arrangement. Porter recommended using anthracite or coke as a fuel in order to avoid smoke. Side flaps to hide

1548-698: The weekend express service would become permanent upon completion of the trial period on November 29, 2015. The Rock Island District runs a few empty equipment move (deadhead) trains, most during weekdays. Inbound deadheads are scheduled between the Joliet, Mokena-Front Street, and Tinley Park stations and run to Blue Island-Vermont Street. There have been proposals to extend the line from Joliet to LaSalle-Peru in LaSalle County with intermediate stations at Rockdale , Minooka , Morris , Seneca , Marseilles , Ottawa , and several other towns. A feasibility study

1591-558: The whole district, and it also uses the line between Gresham Wye and Blue Island to connect with the Iowa Interstate and Indiana Harbor Belt Railroads. A new station at 35th Street and Federal Street opened on April 3, 2011 to serve U.S. Cellular Field and the Illinois Institute of Technology . It was named 35th Street/'Lou' Jones/Bronzeville Station after Lovana Jones who was an Illinois State Representative in

1634-471: Was completed in 2003. As of 2022, an extension only as far as Minooka has been considered feasible in the near future, and there are no currently active plans to carry out the extension. After the passage of the Rebuild Illinois, $ 20 million was allocated for the long planned construction of a new Auburn Park station. Construction is expected to start in 2020. In the beginning of 2021, fares on

1677-585: Was formed on January 15, 1831, out of Tazewell and Putnam Counties . It is named for the early French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle . La Salle was the first European recorded as entering the area. He traveled the Mississippi River upriver from the Gulf of Mexico , claimed the land for France , or rather as a possession of King Louis XIV of France , and named it Louisiana . In 1680, he and Henry de Tonty built Fort Crevecoeur on

1720-558: Was home to the Westclox Company for many years, it was the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas Debates , and was the home to the discoverer of Pluto , as well as a Wild West figure, multiple published authors, a legendary NCAA athletic director and coach, and multiple political figures. Kendall County is the home to a seminal piece of 20th Century architecture, the birthplace of the Harvester Reaper, (as well as

1763-552: Was realized that it was actually the noise and motion of the operating gear of a steam engine that frightened horses, rather than the unfamiliar outlines of a steam engine. Baldwin Locomotive Works manufactured steam dummies or steam motors for many American tramways. Baldwin exported to places such as Sydney, Australia – where they were known as ' steam tram motors ' – and New Zealand, where two, both built in 1891, survive at museums today. H. K. Porter, Inc. preferred

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1806-642: Was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 112 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.32 inches (34 mm) in February to 4.13 inches (105 mm) in June. As of the 2020 United States Census , there were 109,658 people, 45,089 households, and 29,344 families residing in the county. The population density was 95.5 inhabitants per square mile (36.9/km ). There were 49,812 housing units at an average density of 43.4 per square mile (16.8/km ). The racial makeup of

1849-453: Was the site of a F3 tornado that ripped through the downtown and killed nine people on April 20, 2004. On November 15, 2023, a magnitude 3.6 earthquake hit the county. [1] According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 1,148 square miles (2,970 km ), of which 1,135 square miles (2,940 km ) is land and 13 square miles (34 km ) (1.1%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Illinois by land area and

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