Glen Ellyn in DuPage County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

A Creek Went Under Main Street Here

c. 1880

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 10, 2025

1. A Creek Went Under Main Street Here Marker

Inscription.
480 Main

Erected by Glen Ellyn Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.

Location. 41° 52.617′ N, 88° 4.009′ W. Marker is in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, in DuPage County. It is on Main Street north of Crescent Boulevard, on the right when traveling south. The marker is one of several embedded into the sidewalk in downtown Glen Ellyn. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 480 North Main Street, Glen Ellyn IL 60137, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Johansen Tower (here, next to this marker); First Glen Ellyn Movie Theater (a few steps from this marker); McChesney & Miller Grocery Store (a few steps from this marker); Val and Rose Sikler Cobbler Shop (a few steps from this marker); Glen Ellyn's Great Fire of 1891 Started Here (a few steps from this marker); Flour Barrel Bakery (a few steps from this marker); McChesney Store (within shouting distance of this marker); Woolworth's Five-&-Ten Cent Store (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Glen Ellyn.

Also see . . . The Creeks of Old Glen Ellyn.

Excerpt: "Although many might
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not know it now, Glen Ellyn was once crisscrossed by a series of creeks and streams, fed by marshes and springs, all flowing into the East Branch of the DuPage River. All of these streams remain, although most have been forced underground. Almost all of the springs and marshes have been filled in or drained dry by the wells which provided Glen Ellyn and the surrounding area with water. Little remains of these creeks today except for the storm sewers they flow through, the topography of Glen Ellyn they helped to create, and the lakes in the northern part of the village—Lake Ellyn among them—which they flow into."

(Submitted on October 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 10, 2025

2. 480 N. Main

Credits. This page was last revised on October 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 53 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.