Wilson, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wilson, Illinois
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Former community
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 Wilson, Illinois
Location in Illinois
Wilson, Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| County |  Lake |
| Township | Warren |
| Elevation | 216 m (709 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 421281 |
Wilson was a small community in Lake County, Illinois, in the United States. It was not officially a city or town, but a collection of homes and businesses. Today, Wilson is no longer a separate community. Its land is now part of the cities of Waukegan and Park City, and the village of Gurnee. You can find its old location along Illinois Route 120, also known as Belvidere Road.
Contents
The Story of Wilson: How a Community Changed
Wilson has an interesting history, showing how places can grow and change over time. It started as a small area and slowly became part of bigger towns.
Early Days: From Warrenton to Wilson
The area where Wilson once stood was first known as "Warrenton." This was in the southern part of Warren Township.
- 1873: The Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad built a train station in Warrenton. This railroad later became known as the Milwaukee Road. Train stations were very important back then for travel and moving goods.
- 1874: A school was started in Warrenton, called Warrenton School. This shows the community was growing and needed a place for children to learn.
A New Name: Honoring Thomas E. Wilson
In the early 1900s, a businessman named Thomas E. Wilson bought a very large piece of land in the area. He bought about 2,000 acres, which is like 2,000 football fields! This land became his big farm estate, called Edellyn Farms.
Because of his importance to the area, the train station, the post office, and the school were all renamed "Wilson" in his honor. This is how Warrenton became known as Wilson.
Wilson's Disappearance: Becoming Part of Neighboring Towns
After World War II, the community of Wilson slowly started to fade away. The land was needed for new developments and the nearby towns began to expand.
- 1954: Wilson School was sold. It was used as a private home for a while. Later, it was torn down to make room for a wider Belvidere Road.
- 1959: The Milwaukee Road train station, which was once so important, was no longer used. It was eventually torn down too.
As time went on, the nearby towns of Gurnee and Waukegan grew bigger. They took over large parts of the land that used to be Wilson.
- 1958: Other parts of the Wilson area became part of Park City. This happened so that Park City could grow and avoid being completely taken over by Waukegan.
- 1968: A big part of the Edellyn Farms land was sold to the city of Waukegan. This land was used to build a shopping mall called Lakehurst Mall, which is now closed.
Today, very little of the original Wilson area remains as its own separate place. Most of it has been absorbed into the surrounding cities and villages. However, you might still see the name "Wilson" on old maps, reminding us of the community that once was.
