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La Porte County Historical Society 
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The Chicago to New York Electric Airline was begun in September 1906, with the "first dirt" being thrown in construction work south of La Porte, Indiana. The line was promoted as a level, straight route that would cut hours off a trip between the two far-flung cities. As it turned out, the railway made it from Chicago to La Porte, and stopped. Construction never continued east from La Porte. It was, however, popularly used by La Porte residents while it was in town, and special cars were added to carry people from downtown La Porte to the County Fairgrounds at 5 cents a ride. (Photograph of "Fairground" car is in the museum archives.) Photo below shows an "Airline" car in downtown La Porte on South Main (later Lincoln Way) crossing Michigan Ave. This was a spur line that made a loop around South Main, Monroe, Jefferson, and Madison, continued west down South Main, turned south on "I" Street to continue out of town, connecting to the main east-west route. The rails curving to the left in the photo are for the Chicago, South Bend, and Northern Indiana Railway turning north on Michigan Ave. (Information from the 1907 Atlas of La Porte County, Indiana) Click HERE to return to the main Historical Photography page.
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Copyright © 2002 by LaPorte County Historical Society |
