Coolidge Creek Interurban Culvert

In the late 19th Century, electric interurban railways became popular throughout the United States, particularly in suburban and rural areas.  In rural areas, the interurban represented a reliable form of transportation, independent of the steam railroads. The Rockford & Interurban Railroad began as a horse-drawn streetcar railway in Rockford in 1880.  In 1902, the Rockford & Freeport Electric Railway charted a line between Rockford and Freeport, closely following the existing Chicago & North Western Railway tracks.  This railroad quickly became part of the Rockford & Interurban Railroad, which consisted of a consolidated network of interurban and streetcar lines in the Rockford area.  Construction on the interurban to Freeport was completed in 1903.  During the 1920s and 1930s, interurbans throughout the United States became obsolete with the advent of the personal automobile. The line to Freeport would be abandoned in the early 1930s, and the right-of-way largely maintained for electric utilities.