“During the summer months, from 1850 to 1872, there was a class of men in this county known as teamsters, who followed the business of moving the products of the county to the railroads and rivers. In an early day nothing could be sent to market but such things as could walk. Ox teams were used up to 1866, when everybody commenced to use horses for teaming. Continue reading
Category Archives: Railroads
Old Railroad Map
This map was put together by Edward Bridges, it shows which tracks belonged to which Railroad company and where they went and some still go today.
Thanks to an article written in the 1970’s by Homer Butler in his series “Glances at life”, a chunk of railroad history has been salvaged. Homer interviewed Eugene Morrison, co-owner of Home Oil Company. Eugene’s father was F.E. Morrison, who came to Marion in 1903 as a telegraph operator. In 1905, he became agent for the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad and held the position till he retired in 1925 to devote full time to the Home Oil Company which he and a brother had previously started. Continue reading
“The coming of the “hard” roads to Southern Illinois in the 1920’s, some called it “coming out of the mud” — was a mixed blessing. Continue reading
