19th-century train tracks discovered during Crystal Lake roadwork

A bit of Crystal Lake history was unearthed as spur line train tracks from 1860 that were used for ice harvesting were discovered during reconstruction on Dole Avenue Thursday.

The tracks were a spur line laid to the lake and ice houses in 1860, according to a 1967 Crystal Lake Herald article. The railway was used by passenger trains traveling to and from Chicago and freight trains that would haul ice from Crystal Lake to Chicago.

“That was quite an industry in Crystal Lake for a long, long time until refrigeration came,” Crystal Lake Historic Preservation Commission member Robert Wyman said.

Nearby the discovered tracks sits the Dole Mansion which was built in 1865 by Charles Sidney Dole, who owned an ice business with multiple ice houses. Dole Avenue was known as “Ice Track Road,” according to the Crystal Lake Historical Society.

All of the tracks were thought to have been removed along Dole Avenue in 1924, Wyman said, citing a 1924 Crystal Lake Herald article. It was when the rail line was converted to a vehicle road, the city named it Dole Avenue in honor of the prominent resident.

“This is so cool that they came up,” Wyman said. “It’s unbelievable.”

The reconstruction of Dole Avenue started last year and is expected to be completed in October. The project includes full pavement reconstruction, replacement of water mains and services, new sidewalks and bike lane enhancements. It was during the third and final stage of the project from Oak Street to Crystal Lake Avenue when crews discovered the tracks before filling in the land with concrete for new sidewalks.

Knowing the historic significance of the site, the city specifically added a requirement that anything found related to the old railroad line, it would need to be sent to the city and preserved, Crystal Lake Public Works Director Michael Magnuson said.

“We are honestly surprised that we did not find anything earlier in the project,” Magnuson said.

Two large pieces and a 4-feet piece of tracks were recovered and are being held in storage with the city, Wyman said. The city is exploring options on how to use the tracks for public art or other public displays, Magnuson said.

Historic rail tracks were also discovered during the construction of the Enclave apartment complex in downtown Crystal Lake. Those pieces were repurposed into a sculpture that now stands in the courtyard of the apartment building, Wyman said.

As for the Dole Avenue tracks, Wyman intends to have the Historic Preservation Commission work with the city on how to display or repurpose them.

“I don’t know if there’s going to be enough for a sculpture,” Wyman said. “It would be really cool to have a piece of that some place like the railroad station or at the beach house and have the date and the backstory of the train spur.”