The Skokie Valley Route

Have you gone to Northfield's Mariano's or their post office?  Right in between them there is a wide grass path and remnants of train tracks.   This also is the same path of grass that people use for walks that runs behind all those car dealerships on the west side of the Edens between Willow and Dundee.   (An amazing walk by the way.)   If you drive west on Glenview Road west of the Edens you drive past a wide gap between homes just after Laramie.   Connected?  You bet.

Anyway, those grass paths were once the Skokie Valley Route.   This interurban train line connected downtown Chicago with Milwaukee.   Some of the north shore stations were at Glenview Road (the Glenayre Station), Willow Road, Briargeate, aka Deerfield Road.  (You know that sneaky way to get on the Edens behind Toys R Us?  That is the old station just before you get on the highway.)

Glenayre Station (approx) today

Briergate Station Today

Huge thank you to JJ Sedelmaier and his amazing www.northshoreline.com