This was CountrySide
GPS: 41.776858333, -87.871597222
6200-6220 Joliet Rd - directly on Rt 66, Countryside, IL
Farms and Quarries
Early travelers on Route 66 raced through open lands once they left Chicago. This was truly “countryside,” a rich region of farms and quarries on the outskirts of the city. Few farms remained by the time the City of Countryside was incorporated in 1960. Fields gave way to businesses and homes fueled by the growing suburbs.
The Marx Brothers’ Chicken Farm
The Marx Brothers were a famous family comedy act from the early to mid 1900s. In 1917, they began chicken farming near Countryside to avoid being drafted into World War I.
Groucho remembers…
“When we first got the farm we got up every morning at 4 o’clock. After awhile we got up at 5, then 6, then 7, then 8 and then Chico discovered that LaGrange was near the Chicago Cubs ballpark. We didn’t farm anymore, but we made sure to catch the train to the ballpark…”
Quarries and Route 66
The Route 66 roadbed from Chicago to Joliet was made of crushed limestone from quarries about a mile east of Countryside. They have produced rock and aggregate since 1881.
6200-6220 Joliet Rd - directly on Rt 66, Countryside, IL
Farms and Quarries
Early travelers on Route 66 raced through open lands once they left Chicago. This was truly “countryside,” a rich region of farms and quarries on the outskirts of the city. Few farms remained by the time the City of Countryside was incorporated in 1960. Fields gave way to businesses and homes fueled by the growing suburbs.
The Marx Brothers’ Chicken Farm
The Marx Brothers were a famous family comedy act from the early to mid 1900s. In 1917, they began chicken farming near Countryside to avoid being drafted into World War I.
Groucho remembers…
“When we first got the farm we got up every morning at 4 o’clock. After awhile we got up at 5, then 6, then 7, then 8 and then Chico discovered that LaGrange was near the Chicago Cubs ballpark. We didn’t farm anymore, but we made sure to catch the train to the ballpark…”
Quarries and Route 66
The Route 66 roadbed from Chicago to Joliet was made of crushed limestone from quarries about a mile east of Countryside. They have produced rock and aggregate since 1881.
