Before the Metra came to town, Brookfielders got around on a streetcar line. Here are five things you probably didn’t know about the Brookfield streetcar system.

Official opening

The Brookfield streetcar line officially opened on May 8, 1895. It was begun by the Suburban Railroad Co., an alternate of the Suburban Electric Railway Co. It cost $1.35 million to build, and covered Cicero, Berwyn, north of Riverside and into La Grange. On opening day, officials from all the towns on the route went on a ceremonial maiden voyage, but it was not widely publicized.

Chris Stach, Brookfield resident and historian, said the event was written about in a “couple of paragraphs in what was then the Chicago Daily Tribune,” and is today’s Chicago Tribune. Stach said many Brookfielders took the streetcar to Cicero to work at the Western Electric Hawthorne plant.

Five cent ride

The original fare was five cents. In 1913, when the County Traction Line, a larger streetcar system, took over the line, the fare was raised to 10 cents from La Grange to points east of Riverside. You could still travel from La Grange to Riverside for five cents, but anything beyond Riverside would cost you 10 cents.

See the sights in your Sunday best

 People called the La Grange/Brookfield line the most beautiful to travel on because of its route through so many prairies. “They called it the wildflower route,” Stach said. Riders wore their Sunday best to take a ride on the streetcar, especially if they were taking the streetcar to go shopping in Berwyn or Cicero. “In the summer, people would ride the streetcar back and forth to enjoy the cool air,” Stach said.

Few accidents, no deaths

There wasn’t a single death in the 51-year history of the streetcar line, but there were a few accidents. One memorable one, Stach said, was when a streetcar line nearly hit a telephone pole after it left the tracks at Monroe and Vernon avenues. The incident caused the Village Board to require the streetcar line to lower the tracks.

Bitter end

Just after extensive renovations in 1946, when new ties were installed and new tracks were put down, the streetcar line was bought out by Detroit bus manufacturers to replace the line with bus service. The final day of passenger service was April 10, 1948.

IF YOU GO
WHAT All Aboard: Brookfield’s Lost Streetcar System presentation by Chris Stach, Brookfield resident and historian
WHEN 2-3:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 15
WHERE Brookfield Library, 3609 Grand Boulevard
COST Free
FOR MORE INFO Call (708) 485-6917