This section of our website is for students and the young-at-heart.

Wauconda’s Railroad

Have you ever seen a train track going through Wauconda? If you lived 100 years ago, you would have probably heard the whistle and smelled the smoke of our steam train.

On weekends, many people from Chicago enjoyed traveling to Wauconda to enjoy the water, the beaches, and the quiet away from the big city. Back then, Wauconda was a resort town. It was a place where people came to vacation and have fun. Because of slow transportation, Wauconda was considered pretty far from Chicago!

Before we had big highways and fast cars, an easy way to get to Wauconda was to take a train from Chicago to Palatine. Then, people switched trains and rode “Old Maud”, the steam train that started in Palatine, travelled through Lake Zurich, and finally reached Wauconda.

Click below to view a slideshow about Wauconda’s railroad!

And here is a music video about Old Maud!