These are notes that I am writing to help me learn our industrial history. They are my best understanding, but that does not mean they are a correct understanding.
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Elmhurst Chicago Stone Quarry Flood Control Facility
There is an abandoned quarry just east of Salt Creek in Elmhurst, IL. I learned about this quarry because of the announcement of a tour of it to be held September 23. Unfortunately, it had filled up by Sept. 6. But now that I know the name of the facility, I can find better views of it than I would get on a tour.
Elmhurst History Museum posted Happy Throwback Thursday! Today we highlight an aerial view of the Elmhurst-Chicago Stone Company quarry at W. First Street and West Avenue. Likely taken in the late 1920s or early 1930s prior to extensive use of trucking, this image is probably the best view we have of the use of railroad spurs to transport stone out of the quarry and to the Chicago and North Western line, visible at the bottom of the photograph. The Elmhurst Chicago Stone Company was founded in 1883, and although it no longer mines the local quarry, its headquarters is still in Elmhurst to this day. Carl J. Marsico shared Note - also served by IC in addition to CNW. Carl J. Marsico: Also served by Illinois Central - note the remains of the spur visible in this photo [He provided a link for the following post.]
Elmhurst History Museum posted Today's Throwback Thursday photograph is an aerial view of the Elmhurst-Chicago Stone Quarry, taken in September 1969 looking east along the Chicago and North Western Railroad. The quarry today [Aug 25, 2022] serves as a reservoir for a DuPage County Storm Water Management facility. You can learn more about the quarry on our upcoming tour of the longtime Elmhurst landmark on October 1st. Tickets for the event will go on sale on September 1st at 9am. Please see our website for all details!
Jerry Jackson commented on his posting
[Note the front of a C&NW locomotive on the right-hand side of the photo showing that it was rail served back then.]
Jerry Jackson posted Moar Elmhurst, IL. Passing Elmhurst-Chicago Stone eastbound. 1990. [Jerry also commented on Carl's share above.]
Mark Llanuza posted Its 1987 i view inside the Chicago Stone company in Elmhurst IL of the CNW mini sand cars. [According to some comments these were former DMIR ore cars and the "mini train" ended in the late 1990s.]
John Berg commented on Mark's post The other end of the operation, the mini train cars being loaded at the quarry in South Beloit. Stuart Berg photo.
Frank Grimm commented on Mark's post One of my earliest photos taken with an Instamatic. I would watch them switch between trains on the triple track main (behind me).
Jerry Jackson posted A short while ago there was a discussion about the locomotives at Elmhurst Chicago Stone in Elmhurst, Illinois. I mentioned that I had a shot of their rod-connected one while it was up on cribbing while getting work done. I just found that photo. The date is unrecorded but most likely taken in the mid-'80s. Junior Farmer: Also had a locomotive crane, in picture behind engine.
I checked out a topo map concerning the IC spur, which I did not know about until Carl Marsico commented on it.
1928 Elmhurst Quad @ 24,000
It does not show a connection with the IC. But this aerial shows that is an error in the map. You can clearly see the bridge over Salt Creek for the spur just north of the C&NW crossing of the creek. It looks like the spur ran along the mainline and then joined it just before Villa Ave.
SD60 8020 and an SD45, head east towards Proviso, passing Elmhurst-Chicago Stone and approaching downtown Elmhurst, back in the Winter of 1989. You can just about see the stone company's small (Maybe a 44 tonner.) switcher on the right.(Repost from Sept 2015)
This year I finally found my other shot of their tiny switcher. It was used to move the sand hoppers around the plant after being delivered by the CNW. It was often up on blocks for repair, but it was probably cheaper than buying another one, somewhere. No date on the second photo.
Daniel Metzger: I think they had 2 of those 45 tonners.
Gary Sprandel: Daniel Metzger pretty sure you're correct as I seem to remember one on the rails ready for the next cut of gravel/ore cars and another apparently stored or out of service.
Rick Burn posted
These photos were taken 58 years ago in August 1960 on First Street on the west side of Elmhurst showing the Elmhurst Chicago Stone Quarry operations. The locomotive in the second picture is on First Street going across to interchange with the CNW.
Mike Chrisman plosted CNW #8512 Eastbound mixed freight spotted near the Elmhurst Quarry. The nearly six year old GE Model C40-8, built 7/1989 looks sharp. After the UP merger 8512 became UP #9039. Later, UP sold many CNW-8’s to CN. #2016 is still working Canadian tracks, still listed as on their roster. My favorite GE locomotive. Scan from 35mm negative. Elmhurst, Illinois 5/5/1995 Dennis DeBruler Thanks for identifying the background as Elmhurst Quarry. It is now a flood control reservoir for Salt Creek. CNW #8512 https://www.google.com/.../@41.8996748,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3
The quarry is divided into East and West Lobes by the rock wall that holds West Avenue. The East Lobe is 200 feet deep and always contains water.
The Chicago River has been dredged enough times to accommodate ships that sailed the Great Lakes so it is wide and deep enough that the river itself does not flood. (Chicago's main flooding problem is its combined sewer system.) But DuPage County has small rivers such as Salt Creek, East Branch DuPage River, and West Branch DuPage River. When we moved to DuPage County in 1973, there was still a lot of farmland in the county. In fact, there was a corn field next to our appartment's parking lot, and we once communed with nature in the form of a mouse. But by the 1980s, enough of DuPage County had been built up that these small rivers were significantly overflowing their banks and flooding businesses and homes.
By the 1990s, the various suburbs figured out how to cooperate to fund building storm water retention facilities. The following diagram shows the structures added to the abandoned quarry to divert water from Salt Creek when it is about to go over its banks.
You are supposed to be able to click a name and get a picture of the structure. But that is broke. I did send them an email letting them know their diagram is broke. Fortunately, Google's 3D satellite images work well in this area so I can do my own pictures. When the water level of Salt Creek exceeds the height of the spillway along the bank, the water will flow to an opening on the south side of the spillway and drop down to a tunnel under IL-83 that emerges from the west wall of the West Lobe. The water will flow on a stone channel across the West Lobe, through a keyway under West Avenue, and into the East Lobe. After the East Lobe gets full enough, water will be stored in both lobes. After the water level in Salt Creek goes down, the pumping stations are used to pump the water over an aerator and back into the river.
Comparing the images from Google and Bing, it appears the Google image caught the reservoir with some runoff in it.
I was looking for the rail spur to this facility. The 1938 aerial was basically a blob of white. But this Google Earth image shows it coming in at Highland Avenue.
April 1993 Google Earth Pro
Once I knew were to look, there is still a remnant on both sides of 1st Street, including the turnout!
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