Central Illinois is dotted with the tiniest of communities that owe their existence to the railroad boom of the nineteenth century. Many of these places featured a pocket-sized train station, grain elevator, livestock pens, and a small cluster of residential and commercial buildings.One such railroad stop or “station” was Randolph, situated roughly halfway between Bloomington and Heyworth. The red “A” indicates the Illinois Central (IC) Railroad line; while the “B” shows the Illinois Traction System (ITS) tracks. The ITS was an electric-powered “interurban” connecting Bloomington (and Randolph!) to cities such as Decatur, Champaign, and Peoria. Both the IC and ITS are long gone and trains no longer run through Randolph.All of the buildings in lower half of this aerial are gone. Today, Randolph Cooperative Grain Co. operates a complex of modern grain elevators at this site. The commercial building and residence in the upper right corner, though, are still there and look much the same today!
