Fall 24 OP Newsletter

HERITAGE SITES

From 1880 to 1893, this was the only passenger train out of Orland. In April 1893, Wabash added two additional suburban trains between Chicago and Orland, as referenced by a newspaper article from the Chicago Tribune. The station was the center of many small towns like Orland, with one person at the heart of it: the station agent. This individual sometimes worked twelve-hour days, six or seven days a week to ensure the station ran smoothly. They received telegrams, sold tickets, handled baggage, checked freight, and were often the first face that newcomers saw when arriving in town. While most station agents were men, there are a few accounts of female agents – including Fannie Moore Pennington, who was the agent at the Wabash depot in Alpine, IL (a small railroad town located where the current Alpine Heights subdivision is in Orland) in 1912.

Orland Train Depot, late nineteenth century

The advent of the railroad in Orland changed the way that farmers transported and sold their goods. Before it arrived, farmers tended to grow crops only for their own use. Any excess could be taken to the Illinois and Michigan Canal in Lemont, where it would be transported on barges to Chicago, but that took anywhere from three days to a week to arrive at its destination. In contrast, when the railroad arrived in Orland Park, farmers could quickly ship their goods directly from the Union Avenue station or from Alpine. The railroad also contributed to the rise in popularity of raising dairy cows and livestock because farmers could now transport cattle to a larger market more practically and efficiently than before. To support the new, fast-growing industry of livestock rearing in Orland, the Village built a livestock pound (an enclosed place where stray livestock remained until they were claimed by their owner) between West Avenue and the railroad for animals to stay while waiting for the next train. As was the case for many rural towns, the railroad also helped Orland grow. Many people built businesses near the station (in present-day Old Orland) in hopes that passengers making a stop in Orland would visit their store. This included Henry Laun’s General Store (opened 1879-1880), Kruspe’s Saloon (built late 1880s), Orland’s first post office and general store owned by John Kott (circa 1889), and Loebe Brothers General Store (opened January 2, 1898). In particular, the Orland Park Hotel, opened by Philip and Christina Kramer in 1882, largely benefited from the railroad. Located at 14306 Union Avenue, the hotel was in a prime location for visitors and railroad workers alike. Next door to the hotel was a two-story icehouse. It had a bell stationed at the top and a long rope leading down towards the hotel. Hotel staff rang the bell when the food at the hotel was ready to serve. This way, railroad workers and others in town knew when it was lunchtime.

orlandpark.org | Fall 2024 |

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