St. Elmo

St. Elmo. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. , St. Elmo's history is rooted in the dust of a settlement named Howard's Point. Hamlets like Howard's Point relied on the National Road to sustain their businesses., Some of these small settlements grew into cities. Others faded as their residents migrated to more promising locations, such as crossroads, county seats, or in the case of Howard's Point, a railroad station named St. Elmo. , Railroad Ties, In 1882, contractors Johnston Bros. and Fraight surveyed a rail line hat would link Central and Southern Illinois, with the northern terminus at St. Elmo., After bonds for the railroad failed, the company surveyed a new line. When construction started in 1895, St. Elmo was no longer on the route., As a station on the east-west Vandalia line, St. Elmo knew the value of rail access. The city rallied. It invested in a roundhouse, rail, and right-of-way. In a matter of months, St. Elmo built a link to the new Chicago, Paducah and Memphis Railroad, forging a new road to opportunity. , St. Elmo Takes Flight, Established in 1926, Smith Aviation Field hosted air exhibitions, stunt flights, wing walkers, parachute jumps, and was frequented by Charles Lindbergh., The airfield became a significant asset to petroleum executives when St. Elmo's oil boom struck in the late 1930s. Remnants of the field remain today., Photo captions:, Though popular and practical, rail travel wasn't without danger. In this photo from 1912, employees from the St. Louis, Vandalia and Terre Haute line right an engine outside St. Elmo., Whether traveling by road or rail, visitors lodged at the Hotel Elmo., Smith Aviation Field was located on the National Road west of St. Elmo., When an oil boom in the late 1930s turned St. Elmo into the "Little Tulsa" of Illinois, automobiles from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and other states competed with local traffic for space on the streets., (aside:), A Road of Dirt, Rock, And Dreams, In 1806, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation to provide federal funding for a National Road. Surveyed from Cumberland, Md., to the Mississippi River, the National Road was a highway for pioneers eager to settle the West., Today, as US 40, the National Road in Illinois spans 164 miles. From Indiana to East St. Louis, you can still see how the ambitions and accomplishments of early Illinois immigrants shaped our communities. You'll find their influence in our art and architecture, our industry and agriculture, and in our way of life. Enjoy your time on the Road.