By David P. Jordan
Peoria, Ill., never ranked among the nation’s big cities, yet from 1854 to 1907 it attracted railroads comparable in number to Kansas City, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Omaha-Council Bluffs. Peoria could even claim a preponderance of depots and a complexity of routes like its larger contemporaries.
Much has been written of Peoria’s rail history thanks to the presence of colorful small carriers like the Chicago & Illinois Midland; Illinois Terminal; Peoria & Pekin Union; and Toledo, Peoria & Western. But with the passage of time, certain aspects of the city’s early passenger train and station history may have been forgotten.