Mendota

a five days coast to coast poetry festival

DAY 1 New York | New Jersey | Pennsylvania | Delaware | Maryland | District Of Columbia | Virginia | West Virginia | Kentucky | Day 2 Ohio | Indiana | Illinois | Iowa | Missouri | DAY 3 Kansas | Colorado | New Mexico | Arizona | California

History

In summer of 1853, the Illinois Central Railroad was completed and by the fall of that year, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad completed a crossing at the present site of Mendota. By the following year, the population had grown to more than 1,000 and the town was home to saloons, hotels, and various shops. By winter of 1866, citizens voted on a referendum to secure a city government. Mendota was incorporated into its current city government on April 9, 1867.

Library

The first Illinois community to establish a public library was Elgin, on April 2, 1872. Chicago followed one day later and two years after that the first library was opened on September 8, 1874 with 1700 books. 20 year later, it was acquired by the city government. The Old Carnegie Library at 901 Washington Street is now a local museum.

Books

– Magnificent Whistle Stop Mendota LaSalle County IL Centennial History 1953

Great American Stations

Three Amtrak trains in each direction stop daily at the Mendota Amtrak station:
– the Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg between Chicago and Quincy
– the Southwest Chief from Chicago to Los Angeles
– the California Zephyr passes through without stopping.

Adress: 783 Main Street, Mendota, IL 61342
Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2022): $487,672
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2022): 14,892
source: https://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/mendota-il-mdt/