Glen Carbon in Madison County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
East St. Louis & Suburban Railway Electric Line Streetcar
Ronald J. Foster Heritage Trail
Photographed By Jason Voigt, April 28, 2022
1. Streetcar Marker
An electric streetcar traversed the road bed that is now Route 159 from 1899-1928. The East St. Louis and Suburban Railway was known locally as the Interurban or the "Yellow Hammer" due to the yellow cars and the rough ride. There were two stops near Glen Carbon: one at the intersection of Glen Crossing Road/Rt. 159 and one at Cottonwood Road/Glen Carbon Road located approximately where the Walgreens stands today.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 13, 1918 (adapted)
On Friday, January 11, 1918, there was a terrible blizzard. Eighteen persons who left Edwardsville for St. Louis at 6 p.m. Friday became stalled at Cottonwood Station. They ran into a five-foot snow drift. All efforts to get through failed. It was so cold nobody could sleep and pretty soon they ran out of coal. They kept warm by parading up and down the aisle. Then, the crew got out and tore down the Cottonwood Station, a small wooden visiting shed, and they burned the wood in the stove. Otto Kriege, a farmer, living a half mile from where they stalled, came and got them at 5:30 in the morning, Lena, Otto's wife, had plenty of hot food cooked for the travelers and they stayed at the house until the rescue party came. The story had a happy ending because of the gracious aid of the Kriege family and the warmth from the burningboards of Cottonwood Station.
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The streetcar originated at 10th & State streets in East St. Louis. It served several towns including Collinsville, Maryville, Glen Carbon, and Edwardsville. In Edwardsville, a connection could be made to Mitchell, Granite City, Madison, Venice, and Brooklyn. Residents relied heavily on the streetcars to traverse the entire metro area.
Erected 2021 by MCT Trails/Madison County Transit and Glen Carbon Historical & Museum Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical date for this entry is January 13, 1918.
Location. 38° 45.668′ N, 89° 57.422′ W. Marker is in Glen Carbon, Illinois, in Madison County. Marker is off the Ronald J. Foster Heritage Trail. While the trail goes under State Highway 159, there is no accessibility unless you are riding a bike or on foot. The trail leads to Old Troy Road (1 mile to the east) and Ingle Road (0.5 miles to the west). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2970 Petticoat Jct Ln, Glen Carbon IL 62034, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Madison Coal Corporation Coal Mine #4 (approx. 0.4 miles away); Acme School (approx. 0.6 miles away); Bethel Meetinghouse (approx. ¾ mile away); Mont Station
Photographed By Jason Voigt, April 28, 2022
2. Streetcar Marker
Marker is next to the highway underpass.
Also see . . . MCT Trails (official website). Information on several trails that are all over Madison County, Illinois. Many of them were former railroads, as part of the "Rails to Trails" program. (Submitted on April 29, 2022, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 20, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2022, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 350 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 28, 2022, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.
