The Joliet, Plainfield & Aurora: A history of an interurban trolley line

From 1904 to 1924, many residents of Oswego and rural Wheatland Township boarded trolley cars at stops at Normantown and Wolf's Crossing and rode the Joliet, Plainfield, and Aurora (JP&A) Electric Interurban Railway to school, work, and shopping, and frequently to Electric Park, a hugely popular summertime entertainment destination along the picturesque banks of the DuPage River in Plainfield. On Saturday afternoon, Feb. 15, listen as Bill Molony, President of the Black Hawk Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society, explains how the JP&A shuttled passengers efficiently the twenty miles between Aurora and Joliet until the company disbanded in 1924 due to the rise of the automobile and the Lincoln Highway. Admission donation $5 per person, with all proceeds benefiting the operations and mission of the Little White School Museum. Call 630-554-2999 or send an email to info@littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org for more information. For more on the museum, visit their web site at www.littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org, and be sure to follow them on Facebook.