Why They Came: Building Central Illinois
Why They Came: Railroads and Opportunity
7/22/2026 | 1m 45sVideo has Closed Captions
Railroads brought workers, commerce and opportunity to a growing Central Illinois.
Railroads connected Central Illinois to the nation and attracted immigrant laborers to build and operate a growing network of tracks. By 1915, 14 rail providers moved passengers, grain, coal and distilled spirits through Peoria. Though passenger service faded, railroads helped determine which communities grew and shaped the region’s economic future.
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Why They Came: Building Central Illinois is a local public television program presented by WTVP
Support for Why They Came is provided by the Gilmore Foundation.
Why They Came: Building Central Illinois
Why They Came: Railroads and Opportunity
7/22/2026 | 1m 45sVideo has Closed Captions
Railroads connected Central Illinois to the nation and attracted immigrant laborers to build and operate a growing network of tracks. By 1915, 14 rail providers moved passengers, grain, coal and distilled spirits through Peoria. Though passenger service faded, railroads helped determine which communities grew and shaped the region’s economic future.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship(bright music) (soft music) (lively banjo music) - [Narrator] Railroads were big business across Central Illinois, drawing immigrant laborers from many nations to build and operate an ever-expanding network of rail.
Peoria County's first railroad service arrived in 1854 when the Peoria and Bureau Valley brought the first train into the area.
Rail service gave communities a powerful advantage.
A railroad connection could help determine whether a town grew, prospered, or in some cases, disappeared.
By the late 1800s, more railroad companies were laying tracks through the region.
Around 1915, rail reached its high point in Peoria.
14 rail providers moved freight and passengers through the area, connecting the nation to Central Illinois grain, coal and distilled spirits.
Peoria was known as the whiskey capital of the world, and that wasn't just lip service.
The Peoria / Pekin Tax District generated enormous revenue for the federal government through the sale of local distillates and railroads helped make that possible.
As transportation technology changed, the railroad heyday began to fade.
By the 1960s, most passenger rail service had ended with the Rock Island Rocket making its final departure for Chicago on New Year's Eve, 1978.
Wherever the tracks may lead in the future, there's no denying the role railroads played in shaping Central Illinois.
(lively banjo music continues)
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Why They Came: Building Central Illinois is a local public television program presented by WTVP
Support for Why They Came is provided by the Gilmore Foundation.