Talk:Millsdale, Illinois

History

Millsdale was named after Oscar Mills, a wealthy farmer on whose property both the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe and the Chicago and Alton railroads established small depots. A post office was established in Millsdale in 1887. Oscar mills also constructed a brick factory near the railroad, but it never proved to be particularly successful. His other venture, however, a stockyard for cattle headed for Chicago was quite successful. According to residents who lived in Millsdale around 1916, the community also boasted a store and a few nearby houses. The Mills home was said to be quite lavish. Less fortunate immigrant railroad section workers, however lived in converted boxcars. A one-room school was located at the edge of a nearby farm. The Station Master for the shared Santa Fe and C&A depot was on call 24 hours a day. He could be called to tend to a train in the middle of the night if necessary. In 1916 the Station Master lived in a house adjacent to the depot with his wife and children and paid $3 a month in rent (most likely to Mr. Mills). Millsdale never grew much beyond that, however. The post office closed in 1902. Oscar Mills son Arthur took control of the stock yards in the early 20th century, and they were active as late as 1928. The community was still active through the 1920s, though still quite small. The real demise of Millsdale occurred in the late 1930s, when the U.S. Government bought up all the property in the area to create the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant. Homes were razed, as was the school. The depots ceased operation, too. Today, there is nothing left to see in Millsdale, except for a few crumbling bricks. Stepan Chemicals opened a plant in the area in the early 1950s and it is still in operation. The plant, called the Millsdale Plant, is located on Millsdale Road.