Waiting for the train Oliver Typewriter picnic

1910 black and white photograph of a large crowd of people waiting for a train that is approaching at the Woodstock, Illinois train depot.    The railroad tracks are lined by telephone poles and a brick factory can be seen as well as varouis other wooden buildings.

Title

Waiting for the train Oliver Typewriter picnic

Description

Shortly after the July fourth 1910 celebration, the next big social event was the Oliver Typewriter picnic. The ad in the July 21, 1910 Woodstock Sentinel: Oliver Typewriter Employe's Picnic to be held at Fox River Grove, Cary, Illinois Saturday July 23, 1910. Special trains leave at 9:00 a.m. Returning leave the Grounds at 8:00 p.m. Round trip 62c, Half fare 32c.
This photo, taken from a second floor window, shows a large crowd gathered on both sides of the tracks with a train pulling into the station. While the roads, platform and train station are all at their current location, they are on flat ground. There are tracks to the east of the platform and railroad cars where the depot parking lot is today. Oliver Typewriter factory is in the distance on the right of the photo.
On the west side of the tracks, the old Chicago & Northwestern depot and American Express depot office (replaced in 1912) , plus the freight depot with more railroad cars lined up in front of it, can be seen.
On Washington street, the frame building with "Henry George Cigars" and OWL signs is identified in the 1905 Sanborn Fire Map as an implement dealer but was demolished before the 1914 city directory was published. Thos. Fox was listed as a blacksmith living at 847 Clay St. in 1914.The side of the Austin flats (130 Washington) can be seen along with a back balcony that has people watching the scene.

Creator

Date

1910

Citation

Persson, Gus, “Waiting for the train Oliver Typewriter picnic,” Woodstock Public Library Archives, accessed December 6, 2024, https://woodstockpubliclibraryarchives.omeka.net/items/show/446.

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