Alpine, Cook Co., IL

ALPINE

A Suburban Chicagoland Ghost

FOR A CURRENT DISCUSSION AND HISTORIC PHOTOS ON THIS WONDERFUL OLD FORGOTTEN GHOST

SEE the Facebook page for Gary’s latest book, GHOST TOWNS: Yesterday & Today^TM.

There is a current thread going about Alpine. Drop on by for a visit and join with us.

RUBBLE AND MEMORIES ARE ALL THAT REMAIN OF THIS class A railroad town. It was located about a hundred yards north of 167^th Street between Wolf Road (on the west) and 108^th Avenue (on the east). It was along Marley Creek and along the west side of the old Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railroad, about 30 miles southwest of Chicago and three miles southwest of Orland Park. It appears a modern tract of homes has now been built over the site. Even so, the original site is a ghost and will continue to be listed on this page.

Alpine’s original history begins when it was founded as a Wabash Line Railroad station in 1891, even though the railroad was built in 1879. At that time in history, stations were established along the railroad every three miles or so. Its founding was followed by a land boom, in which many lots were sold sight unseen. The depot, which was claimed to be the “most ornate railroad depot between Chicago and St. Louis,” was a busy shipping point for local farmers and cattle raisers.

The Alpine Post Office was established May 21, 1881 with Herman R. Allen as first postmaster. SO, from this bit of information it appears the town may have been established earlier than 1891. That 1891 date MIGHT be a typo from my original sources of information. In any case, Alpine peaked around 1910 when it had a blacksmith shop, the Alpine Methodist Church, feed mill, Albert Cooper’s two-story general store with a dance hall in the rear, two saloons, and a railroad depot. On the northern side of the railroad were stockyards that allowed shipment of cattle to the Chicago Union Stockyards. Excursion trains were run into town from Chicago, and life seemed grand. The main street was also lined with a wooden sidewalk. Homerding’s and Schaffert’s saloons were located conveniently across from the depot. A wonderful photo shown on the Facebook thread shows the Main Street in 1907, with the line of businesses shown across the street from the depot building.

A telegrapher strike began the town’s woes as the Wabash Company eliminated telegraph operators from every other station. Alpine drew the short straw and lost its operator. Orland kept its operator, and that station became the main shipping point, decreasing business to Alpine.

In November 1911 (1912?), fire destroyed the store and two saloons, putting the town in a tailspin. Since there was no central water system, the three buildings burned to the ground. This blow seriously crippled the dreams of Alpine. Shortly after the fire, the railroad depot was no longer used. It was torn down during WWII, leaving Alpine a vacant site. Around 1941, Cook County officially announced the “disappearance” of Alpine when it was removed from the state’s sales tax list.

By the 1980s, the barren site was overgrown with weeds and any homes in the area were of much more recent vintage. (Be advised that due to growth throughout various urban areas the Alpine area may be developed now.) According to David Z, a private home is now located where main Street once was. A real nice photo of the main street is shown on the Facebook discussion thread mentioned above.

Click here to see a town map, and a detailed map of Alpine.

If you do visit the site of Alpine PLEASE respect the rights of property owners and any nearby residents by following the Ghost Towner’s Code of Ethics.

LOCATION:

· SW¼ Sec 20, NW¼ Sec 29, T36N, R12E, 3^rd Principal Meridian, Orland TWP

· Latitude: 41.5864213 / 41° 35’ 11” N

· Longitude: -87.8814423 / 87° 52’ 53” W

UPDATE FOR ALPINE:

According to an E-mail rec’d June 24, 2009:

“Alpine has risen. It's now a subdivision with the same streets and street names”

This was our Ghost Town of the Month for April 2007.

With some revisions, it was reposted as our Ghost Town of the Month for February 2012.

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