Near Union in McHenry County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
1851 Marengo Station
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., September 6, 2010
1. 1851 Marengo Station Marker
Chicago's first railroad, the Galena & Chicago Union, began building westward from Chicago in 1848, through Turner Junction (now West Chicago) to Rockford and Freeport. That railroad later became part of the Chicago & North Western and (in the 1990's) the Union Pacific.
G&CU constructed this large wooden passenger station in Marengo, a few miles west of Union, in 1851. One end of the depot held a passenger waiting room, while the other was used for baggage and freight. Passenger service to Marengo ended in 1950, but the depot remained in use for freight until the mid-1960's.
IRM purchased the station from C&NW in 1967. The structure was divided into two large sections and moved by truck to IRM, where it was reassembled. The station exterior is largely unchanged, but inside, restrooms have been installed in the baggage area.
It is the oldest station in continuous service west of Pittsburgh.
Erected by Illinois Railway Museum.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1848.
Location. 42° 13.746′ N, 88° 31.642′ W. Marker is near Union, Illinois, in McHenry County. Marker is adjacent to the southern corner of the station (now marked as East Union
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Indiana Harbor Belt 1181 (a few steps from this marker); The Elgin & Belvidere Electric Company/Rebirth of the Elgin & Belvidere (within shouting distance of this marker); Simplex Type Automatic Coupler (within shouting distance of this marker); Couplers (within shouting distance of this marker); Railroad Brakes / Westinghouse Automatic Air Brakes (within shouting distance of this marker); Railroad Standard Time (within shouting distance of this marker); Railroad Rails (within shouting distance of this marker); Chicago Railways Company Date Stone (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Union.
Also see . . .
1. The Illinois Railway Museum. Museum website homepage (Submitted on December 17, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Galena & Chicago Union Railroad. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on December 17, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. Chicago Transportation. Encyclopedia of Chicago website entry (Submitted on December 17, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
4. William B. Ogden.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., September 6, 2010
2. 1851 Marengo Station and Marker
Chicagology website entry (Submitted on July 16, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., September 6, 2010
3. 1851 Marengo Station
Trackside view; marker is near rear of station
Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 17, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 966 times since then and 85 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 17, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
