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St. Mary's Church
St. John Ev. Lutheran Church
Ev. Lutheran Church of Holy Spirit
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 Episcopal Church
Grant School
Buildings
Borden Library
City Hall
Cook Publishing
Brethren Publishing 
Dunham's Castle
Elk's Club
Ill. State Armory 
Home Bank Building
Professional Building
Post Office
Sears Academy
Selz Shoe Factory
Masonic Temple
H. Kind 
Bakery
Hubbard Block
McGraw 
Electric
Woolworth's
Cromwell Shoes
Judge Botsford's Residence
Fire Barn # 1
Fire Barn # 5
Elgin Eagle Beer
Hospitals
Sherman Hospital
Resthaven Sanitarium
St. Joseph's Hospital
Larkin Children's Hospital
Elgin State Hospital Annex
Old People's Home
Streets
Grove Ave.
Grove Ave 
at Nite.
North on Grove
Douglas Ave.
Chicago Street
Villa Street
Highland & Larkin Avenues
Modern Elgin
Grove Ave. (Mod)
Aerial View
Elgin Skyline
Greetings From Elgin
Greetings From Elgin (1975)

The Fox River

After James Gifford settled on The Fox River Valley, he wrote to his parents, "I have on my claim the best place for water power which I have found on the river...the Fox River is the finest stream I ever saw..."

The Fox River is a tributary of the Mississippi River by way of the Illinois River. Originally called Pishtaka by the Indians and River Des Renalds by the French Trappers, The Fox River was vital to early Elgin Settlers. It powered early mills, received the city’s waste and provided leisure activities, such as boating and fishing.

Sometime around 1836 or 1837, the first dam was constructed by Folsom Bean and was paid for by James Gifford and Samuel Kimball.  Shortly after it was built, Gifford built a grist mill on the east side of the river and Kimball built a saw mill on the west side of the river.  In 1867, the state legislature chartered the Elgin Hydraulic Company to maintain the dam, but even before that, the dam would provide the city with a great deal of business opportunities.  Near the dam was the site of two large flour mills and a woolen mill.

          

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Fox River
Chgo St Bridge
Chgo Bridge at night
Kimball  Bridge
Walton Island
Pumping Station
Elgin Nat'l 
Watch Co.
West & Front Wing
Noon at Factory
The Main Entrance
National House
Elgin Watchmakers College
Il. Watch 
Case Factory
Eppenstein's Home
Observatory
N. Y. World's Fair
My Elgin's All Right
Parks
Gifford Park
Veteran Monument
Lord's Park
Scenic View
Upper Lake
Band Stand
Audubon Museum
Pavilion At Night
Pavilion in Wintertime
Bear Pit
Trout Park
Trout Park  Amusement Park
Sulfur  Springs
(Wing Park)
Pavilion,
Wing Park
Swimming Pool
Band Concert
(Wing Park)
Weldwood Country Club
Central Park
Bridge over Tyler Creek
Windmill on Aurora Elgin RR
Hotels
Kelley Hotel
Hotel Fosgate
Fox Hotel
Misc.
Dairy Cows
Interurban
 Hiawatha
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Other Elgins
Elgin, Texas
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Elgin Oregon
Elgin, Arizona