If you, yourself, are a curious dreamer... a wonder seeker... a trailblazer... Adventures in Stockton is for you. Take some time to explore our story and stay a while to build yours.
Here you’ll find: Stories of wonder seekers who came to Stockton to build a railroad community around the highest elevated Main Street in Illinois; Stories of trailblazers who designed architecture that stood the test of time and remind us today of the glamor and ingenuity of the Gilded Age; Stories of curious dreamers who reimagined cheese to feed an Army and transform the world’s culinary landscape.
Chicago Western Railroad
Riddle: Railroad Crossing, Watch Out for Cars! Can you spell that without any r’s?…
Chicago Great Western Railway
Location: Main St and E Railroad Ave
Riddle: Railroad Crossing, Watch Out for Cars! Can you spell that without any r’s?
That.
Story: All Aboard the Great Western Railroad – the greatest railroad of its time! The Stockton roundhouse provided a place for trains to turn around, switch crews, get repaired, and load up fresh goods, livestock, and lumber to go to market. The Railroad provided jobs for over 400 residents of Stockton and boasted one of the largest workshops filled with people ready to work. With changes in transportation across the United States, the last train ran through Stockton in 1972.
How in the world?
What if it took you months to travel from Chicago to California to see a friend? We now live in a world where we can connect instantly and arrive at many destinations within a day but that wasn’t always the case. Although speeds for trains only ranged between 10 mph to 100 mph, railroad travel cut travel time by 90%, allowing passengers to take an easy ride to see family and friends in different states.
